Current Environmental Issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Geography

Lake Malawi location. (Source: University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center)

Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Geographic Coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E

Area:

total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km

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)

Natural Hazards: NA

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

Climate

Sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Government

Government Type: Multiparty Democracy

Capital: Lilongwe

Independence Date: 6 July 1964 (from UK)

Legal System: 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

International Agreement

Environmental-international Agreement:

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

People and Society

Population: 13,931,831

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 46% (male 3,208,112/female 3,194,600)
15-64 years: 51.4% (male 3,592,073/female 3,563,840)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 159,450/female 213,756) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 2.39% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 41.79 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 17.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: NA

Life Expectancy at Birth:

total population: 43.45 years
male: 43.74 years
female: 43.15 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 5.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.7%
male: 76.1%
female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 17.3 cu km (2001)

Freshwater Withdrawal (domestic, industrial, agricultural):

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (15%/5%/80%)
per capita: 78 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats

Irrigated Land: 560 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Land Use:

arable land: 20.68%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 78.14% (2005)

Energy

Health

Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 14.2% (2003 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Conflict

International Disputes: disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Economy

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's most densely populated and least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural with about 85% 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 December 2007, the US granted Malawi eligibility status to receive financial support within the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) initiative. Malawi will now begin a consultative process to develop a five-year program before funding can begin. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. 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. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. 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.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $10.51 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $3.538 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 7.4% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $800 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 37.8%
industry: 18.1%
services: 44.1% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 53% (2004)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share:

lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 31.8% (2004)

Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Exports: tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

Export Partners: South Africa 12.4%, Germany 12%, Egypt 9.4%, Zimbabwe 8.3%, US 7.5%, Russia 4.7%, Netherlands 4.5% (2006)

Imports: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Import Partners: South Africa 34.9%, India 8.2%, Zambia 7.8%, Tanzania 5.9%, US 5.9%, China 4.3% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $575.3 million (2005)

Currency: Malawian kwacha (MWK)

Communications

Telephones- main line in use: 102,700 (2005)

Telephones- mobile/cellular: 1.051 million (2007)

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 Hosts: 347 (2007)

Internet Users: 59,700 (2006)

Transportation

Airports: 39 (2007)

Railways:

total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 15,451 km
paved: 6,956 km
unpaved: 8,495 km (2003)

Ports and Terminals: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba