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Malawi
Background :
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.
Location :
Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic Coordinates Center :
13 30 S, 34 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 32.67 |
| North | -9.37 |
| East | 35.92 |
| South | -17.13 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 118 484 | square km |
| land | 94 080 | square km |
| water | 24 404 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 2 881 | km |
| Mozambique (mz) | 1 569 | km |
| Tanzania (tz) | 475 | km |
| Zambia (zm) | 837 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
Climate :
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 | 37 | metres |
| highest point | 3 002 | metres |
Natural resources :
| arable land | bauxite |
| coal | hydropower |
| limestone | unexploited deposits of uranium |
Land use :
| arable land | 20.68 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.18 | % |
| other | 78.14 | % |
Irrigated land :
560 square km
Total renewable water resources :
17 cubic km
current issues :
deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Marine Life Conservation | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution | Wetlands |
Population :
15 028 757
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.75 | % |
| Birth rate | 41.68 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.59 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 14.23 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 45.40 | % |
| 15-64 years | 51.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 2.70 | % |
Median age :
| total | 16.80 | years |
| male | 16.80 | years |
| female | 16.90 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.74 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 86.01 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 50.03 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 49.39 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 50.67 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 11.90 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 930 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 68 000 |
Religions :
| Christian | 79.90 | % |
| Muslim | 12.80 | % |
| other | 3.00 | % |
| none | 4.30 | % |
Languages :
| Chichewa | 57.20 | % |
| Chinyanja | 12.80 | % |
| Chiyao | 10.10 | % |
| Chitumbuka | 9.50 | % |
| Chisena | 2.70 | % |
| Chilomwe | 2.40 | % |
| Chitonga | 1.70 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 62.70 | % |
| male | 76.10 | % |
| female | 49.80 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Malawi |
| conventional short form | Malawi |
| local long form | Dziko la Malawi |
| local short form | Malawi |
| former | British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | MW |
| ISO Numeric | 454 |
| ISO3 | MWI |
| FIPS | MI |
| ccTLD | mw |
| English | Malawi |
Administrative divisions :
28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba
Capital :
| name | Lilongwe |
| geographic coordinates | 13 59 S, 33 47 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| COMESA | FAO |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| ISO (correspondent) | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| MINURCAT | MONUC |
| NAM | OPCW |
| SADC | UN |
| UNAMID | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNMIL | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1964-07-06
National holiday :
Independence Day
1964-07-06
Executive branch :
| President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 12 810 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 4 909 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 5.90 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 900 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 35.50 | % |
| industry | 19.90 | % |
| services | 44.60 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 90.00 | % |
| services | 10.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 5 747 000 | people |
| Population below poverty line | 53.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.00 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.50 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 11.60 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 216 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 194 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 1 091 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 587 200 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.30 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 58.00 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 31.90 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 215 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 325 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| Macadamia nuts | cassava |
| cattle | corn |
| cotton | goats |
| peanuts | potatoes |
| pulses | sorghum |
| sugarcane | tea |
| tobacco |
Industries :
| cement | consumer goods |
| sawmill products | sugar |
| tea | tobacco |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 1 690 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 1 572 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 8 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 6 960 | bbl/day |
Value :
945 000 000 $
Partners :
| South Africa (za) | 14.20 | % |
| Egypt (eg) | 9.80 | % |
| Zimbabwe (zw) | 8.70 | % |
| United States (us) | 7.40 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 7.00 | % |
| Germany (de) | 5.70 | % |
| Russia (ru) | 5.60 | % |
Commodities :
| apparel | coffee |
| cotton | peanuts |
| sugar | tea |
| tobacco | wood products |
Value :
1 625 000 000 $
Partners :
| South Africa (za) | 41.10 | % |
| India (in) | 7.50 | % |
| China (cn) | 7.20 | % |
| Tanzania (tz) | 5.30 | % |
| United States (us) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| consumer products | food |
| petroleum products | semimanufactures |
| transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
MWK
Currency-name :
Malawian kwacha
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 236 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 781 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 5 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | mw | |
| Internet Hosts | 741 | |
| Internet Users | 316 100 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 6 | |
| Roadways - total | 15 451 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 6 956 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 8 495 | km |
| Railways | 797 | km |
| Waterways | 700 | km |
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