Malawi is a Southern African country, designated by Malawi in Portuguese. Situated on the shores of Lake Malawi (formerly Lake Niassa), Malawi is a very rugged terrain, where numerous and extensive lakes are present. It covers a total area of 118 480 km2 and is bordered by Tanzania in the north, Mozambique in the east, south and southwest, and Zambia in the west and northwest. It is an inland country that therefore has no sea coast. The main cities are Blantyre, with 562 400 residents (2004), the capital Lilongwe (512 800 residents) And Mzuzu (102 400 residents).
From the point of view of relief, Malawi is divided into four regions: the eastern rift valley, the central highlands region, the highland region and the isolated mountain region.
Climate
Malawi has a humid tropical climate characterized by a wet season, which occurs between May and October, and a dry season, between November and April. In the higher areas the temperature is lower.
Economy
Agriculture is Malawi’s main economic sector, as it constitutes 1/3 of GDP and represents about 90% of export earnings. The main crops are tobacco, tea and sugar. The Government has been promoting the agricultural sector through the integrated use of land or irrigation schemes, this in addition to the creation of subsidized credit lines, the construction of more and better communication routes, etc. The industry is underdeveloped and is limited to the processing of agricultural products. On the other hand, the fishing sector is quite developed, due to the great richness of fish, both in Lake Malawi and in other lakes, such as Lake Chilwa and Malombe or even the Shire River. Malawi’s main trading partners are South Africa, Germany, Japan and the United States of America.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 0.1.
Population
The population was, in 2006, 13 013 926 residents, which corresponds to a population density of 102.62 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are respectively 43.13% and 19.33%. Average life expectancy is 41.7 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.387 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.378 (2001).
There are nine main ethnic groups that are associated with modern Malawi: Chewa, Nyanja, Lomwe, Yao, Tumbuka, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni and Ngonde. In religious terms, Protestants represent 55% of the population, followed by Muslims (20%), Catholics (20%) and the faithful of traditional beliefs (5%). Chichewa is the national language and English is the official language.
History
Although archaeological remains reveal that the territory of Malawi has been inhabited for 50,000 years, only historical records written in Portuguese and English after 1500 are known. However, it is known, however, that in the 15th century there was a political system strongly established under the Maravi Confederation, which integrated the central and southern parts of present-day Malawi and, at the height of its influence, in the 17th century, the adjacent areas of Zambia and Mozambique. This confederation was successful at all levels until the arrival of the slave trade at the end of the 18th century, a fact that caused ethnic divisions, since tribes on the East African coast imposed themselves on Maravi territory, playing, since then, a important role in the slave trade. But the final blow came from the British occupation of the territory between 1880 and 1890, occupation from which the Protectorate of the District of Niassaland was born in 1891 which, in 1907, came to be called Niassaland. Despite the construction of social and economic infrastructures, the truth is that the English administration did little to benefit the well-being of the people of Malawi, as they were committed to European interests. Furthermore, and against the overwhelming opinion of the population, England decided, in 1953, to annex Nyasaland to Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia under the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. This negative performance on the part of the colonial administration led to the birth of a nationalist movement that, under the leadership of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, culminated, first, in the dissolution of the federation in 1963, and then with the proclamation of independence on July 6 1964. For Malawi democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Following a conservative, pro-Western policy and with the economy as its main concern, Malawi has established strong relations with South Africa, although it refused to align its foreign policy with this, as stated at the Coordinating Conference for South Development Africa, which he joined in 1980.
In 1993, Kamuzu lost the title of president for life, which opened the door to the holding of the first multiparty elections on May 17, 1994, the results of which gave little victory to the main opposition party, the Democratic Union Front, led by Bakili. Muluzi. The beginning of that same year was marked by another event, this with serious consequences for the country’s economy: a devastating drought, which left the main economic sector, agriculture, in a miserable state, forcing the Government to ask for international emergency aid, namely the World Food Program.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Malawi, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Malawi. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Malawi
Check out the shaded relief and political maps of this Southern African country, east of Zambia. Includes a small map of Malawi.
