|
|
Geography
Malawi is located in southern/eastern Africa, landlocked between Mozambique (east and south), Zambia (west) and Tanzania (north). It spans over 118,484 square kilometres (45,747 square miles), making it roughly equivalent to the size of England.
Lake Malawi, which is the third largest in Africa, is at most 580km long and 75km wide and accounts for a fifth of Malawi's total mass, which means that although the country is inland it enjoys a substantial coastal area to the east. The maximum depth of the lake is 700m (2,300ft): it is so deep that it has its own tide, and its tropical waters contain a wider variety of fish species than any other lake on Earth.
The Northern Region of Malawi is mountainous, filled with rocky valleys, thickly forested slopes, and peaks that reach over 2,500m (8,200ft). The Central Region, which contains the Capital and is the country's primary agricultural area, is predominantly a plateau over 1,000m (3,300ft) high. Agriculture currently accounts for 35% of the national GDP. The Southern Region is flat and mostly low-lying, other than the Zomba Plateau and Mount Mulanje (3,000m/10,000 ft)
Its population is approximately 15 million, which makes it one of Africa's most densely populated countries. There are five main cities: the Capital Lilongwe, Blantyre, Zomba, Karonga and Mzuzu. In 2000, 90% of the total population were living in rural areas, although urban populations are steadily growing and that number has reduced to 85%. |
 |
|
International
The official language is English (educational, business and legal communities all deal in English) and the national language is Chichewa. The language predominantly spoken in the north, including in Ruarwe and its surrounding villages, is Chitumbuka.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries on Earth: it remains fundamentally dependent on international aid from institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, and has a GDP of just under $5 billion (2010 estimate). The average minimum wage currently stands at just under 50p a day.
In 1990 just over half the country was living under the poverty line. This decreased to 40% in 2006, with the percentage of "ultra-poor" falling from 24% in 1990 to 15% in 2007.
Malawi's demographics are heavily complicated by the AIDS pandemic: in 2001, 15% of adults aged 15-49 were infected with HIV or AIDS, compared to 9% in Sub-Saharan Africa and 1.2% worldwide. The rate is currently at 14.2%; roughly 250 new people are infected each day, and at least 70% of Malawian hospital beds are occupied by AIDS/HIV patients. It is expected to lower the country's GDP by at least 10% in the coming years.
|
|
In 2000 the life expectancy of the average Malawian was approximated at 37.6 years old. This increased in 2005 to 39.5, then to 43.5 in 2008.It currently stands at 53 years old, but this number is much lower in the northern, rural regions.
Only 57% of the rural population have access to safe water, compared to 90% in urban areas. In 2002 the adult literacy rate was just 49% for females and 76% for males.
The major religions in Malawi are Christianity and Islam.
|
Economics
Malawi's hot climate and lush landscape have seen rapid gains recently in the industry, with visitor numbers climbing over the years (a large portion coming from South Africa or Zimbabwe).
The monetary unit is the Malawi Kwacha: there are approximately MK250 for every £1. There are currently five commercial banks and approximately a third of commercial activity is dominated by manufacturing, mainly invested in by the minority Asian community.
Since 2007 the country has made real progress in achieving economic growth, and consequently health care, education and environmental conditions have all improved. Its chief exports are tobacco, tea, sugar and cotton. Efforts are being made to expand facilities and enhance long-term significant investment in industry.
|
 |
|
History/Politics
During pre-colonial times, Malawi had a small hunter-gatherer population until the 10th century, when hoards of Bantus began emigrating from the north. By 1500 the tribes had established a kingdom, and soon after 1600 the area stretching from Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River to Zambia was mostly united under one ruler.
Alliances with Portuguese traders began, and by 1700 the empire had begun to fragment into regions controlled by individual tribes.
The British missionary David Livingstone reached Lake Malawi (then Lake Nyasa) in 1859, and Malawi was named Nyasaland under British rule.
Malawi became a British colony as the protectorate of Nyasaland in 1891. The Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) was formed in 1944 and after 1958 Hastings Kamazu Banda was elected its president.
Malawi gained independence on July 6th 1964 after a decade of anti-colonial activity. It became a Republic in 1966.
|
|
From 1963 Banda remained the first and only leader for over 30 years on behalf of his Malawi Congress Party (MCP). He declared himself president-for-life in 1970 but mounting political pressure in the late 1980s and widespread demonstrations in 1992 eventually forced him to concede to a referendum calling for a multiparty democracy.
The first multi-party elections were held in Malawi in 1994 and were won by Bakili Muluzi, leader of the free-market-promoting United Democratic Front (UDF).
The Muluzi government was seen as an advocate for democracy, initially committed to a programme of structural reform aimed at reducing poverty and stimulating the economy, with a renewed emphasis on education and health. His time as President, however, was tainted by controversy and rumour, although he still remains popular in the southern part of the country.
In 2004 Muluzi stepped down and was succeeded by UDF's Bingu wa Mutharika. Muluzi was later arrested on fraud and corruption charges, although he was never charged. In 2005 Mutharika broke away from the UDF to form the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and in May 2009 he won a Presidential election against six other candidates, including the first ever female to run.
Although the political atmosphere is still very challenging, Malawi is one of the few African countries equipped with moderately stable politics, a liberalised economy and a growing sector in industry.
|