Established in 1891, the British
protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in
1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings
Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a
provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year.
Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed
attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit
another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor
and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) in 2005. As president, MUTHARIKA has overseen economic
improvement but because of political deadlock in the legislature, his
minority party has been unable to pass significant legislation, and
anti-corruption measures have stalled. Population growth, increasing
pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the spread of HIV/AIDS
pose major problems for Malawi. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term
in May 2009.
Geography ::Malawi
Location:
Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic coordinates:
13 30 S, 34 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 118,484 sq km
land:
94,080 sq km
water:
24,404 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 2,881 km
border countries:
Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Current Weather
sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)
Terrain:
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point:
Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m
Natural resources:
limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
deforestation; land
degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage,
industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish
populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature
People ::Malawi
Population:
15,447,500
country comparison to the world: 64
note:estimates
for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher
infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and
changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
based on English common
law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the
Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004)
cabinet:
46-member Cabinet named by the president
elections:
president
elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second
term); election last held on 19 May 2009 (next to be held in May 2014)
election results:
Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA 66%, John TEMBO 30.7%, other 3.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:
last held on 19 May 2009 (next to be held in May 2014)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPP 114, MCP 26, UDF 17, independents 32, other 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Appeal;
High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges
appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission);
magistrate's courts
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Democracy or
AFORD [Dindi NYASULU]; Congress of Democrats or CODE [Ralph KASAMBARA];
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA]; Malawi
Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP
[Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or MAFUNDE
[George MNESA]; Maravi People's Party [Uladi MUSSA]; National Unity
Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; New Rainbow Coalition Party [Beatrice
MWALE]; New Republican Party [Gwanda CHAKUWAMBA]; People's Progressive
Movement or PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA
[Kamuzu CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Stanley MASAULI]; United
Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI]; United Democratic Party [Kenedy
KALAMBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agri-Ecology Media
(agriculture and environmental group); Council for NGOs in Malawi or
CONGOMA (human rights, democracy, and development); Human Rights
Consultative Committee or HRCC (human rights); Malawi Law Society (human
rights and law reform); Malawi Movement for the Restoration of
Democracy or MMRD (acts to restore and maintain democracy); Public
Affairs Committee or PAC (promotes democracy, development, peace and
unity)
chancery:
1029 Vermont Avenue, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
[1] (202) 721-0270
FAX:
[1] (202) 721-0288
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter W. BODDE
embassy:
16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3
mailing address:
P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
telephone:
[265] (1) 773 166
FAX:
[265] (1) 770 471
Flag description:
three equal horizontal
bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun
centered on the black band; black represents the native peoples, red the
blood shed in their struggle for freedom, and green the color of
nature; the rising sun represents the hope of freedom for the continent
of Africa
Economy ::Malawi
Economy - overview:
Landlocked Malawi ranks among the
world's most densely populated and least developed countries. The
economy is predominately agricultural with about 80% of the population
living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for more than one-third of
GDP and 90% of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is
key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of
exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic
assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations.
In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) program. In December 2007, the US granted Malawi
eligibility status to receive financial support within the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC) initiative. The government faces many
challenges including developing a market economy, improving educational
facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the
rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that
fiscal discipline is being tightened. Since 2005 President MUTHARIKA'S
government has exhibited improved financial discipline under the
guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE and signed a three year
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility worth $56 million with the IMF.
Improved relations with the IMF lead other international donors to
resume aid as well. In 2009, however, Malawi experienced some setbacks,
including a general shortage of foreign exchange, which has damaged its
ability to pay for imports. Investment fell 23% in 2009. The government
has failed to address barriers to investment such as unreliable power,
water shortages, poor telecommunications infrastructure, and the high
costs of services.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.81 billion (2009 est.)
40
$12.09 billion (2008 est.)
$11.02 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.967 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2009 est.)
9.7% (2008 est.)
7.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2009 est.)
17
$800 (2008 est.)
$800 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 35.1%
industry:
19.8%
services:
45.1% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
5.747 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 90%
industry and services:
10% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
53% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
South Africa 41.1%, India 7.5%, China 7.2%, Tanzania 5.3%, US 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$171 million (31 December 2009 est.)
50
$243.3 million (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.091 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
48
$1.005 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Malawian kwachas (MWK) per US dollar - 159.16 (2009), 142.41 (2008), 141.12 (2007), 135.96 (2006), 108.894 (2005)
Communications ::Malawi
Telephones - main lines in use:
236,000 (2008)
22
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.781 million (2008)
29
Telephone system:
general assessment: rudimentary;
privatization of Malawi Telecommunications (MTL), a necessary step in
bringing improvement to telecommunications services, completed in 2006
domestic:
fixed-line
subscribership about 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular services are
expanding but network coverage is limited and is based around the main
urban areas; mobile-cellular subscribership approaching 15 per 100
persons
international:
country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus one shortwave station on standby) (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Internet country code:
.mw
Internet hosts:
741 (2009)
65
Internet users:
316,100 (2008)
25
Transportation ::Malawi
Airports:
32 (2009)
13
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
over 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
15
under 914 m:
10 (2009)
Railways:
total: 797 km
02
narrow gauge:
797 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 15,451 km
21
paved:
6,956 km
unpaved:
8,495 km (2003)
Waterways:
700 km; (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba
Military ::Malawi
Military branches:
Malawi Armed Forces: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for
voluntary military service; standard obligation is 2 years of active
duty and 5 years of reserve service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,402,724 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,048,900
females age 16-49:
1,960,258 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 177,376
female:
176,905 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2006)
17
Transnational Issues ::Malawi
Disputes - international:
disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
