Malawi

Branches

Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $10.4 million, NA% of GDP (FY94/95)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: 2,106,905 males fit for military service: 1,076,788 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0

Radios

1.011 million (1995)

Telephone system

domestic: fair system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

43,000 (1985 est.)

Television broadcast stations

0 (1987 est.)

Televisions

NA Defense

Agriculture

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats

Budget

revenues: $530 million expenditures: $674 million, including capital expenditures of $129 million (1993)

Currency

1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

Economic aid

recipient: in December 1995, donors pledged for 1996, $332 million

Economic overview

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 31% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The new government faces strong challenges, e.g., to spur exports, to improve educational and health facilities, and to deal with environmental problems of deforestation and erosion. Drought hurt the 1994 economy, with GDP down by 12.4%. Good weather and a strong tobacco crop resulted in an upturn in 1995. In December 1995, donors pledged $332 million in aid for 1996.

Electricity

capacity: 190,000 kW production: 905 million kWh (1993) consumption per capita: 92 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1 - 16.3516 (November 1995), 8.7364 (1994), 4.4028 (1993), 3.6033 (1992), 2.8033 (1991)

Exports

$365 million (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts, wood products partners: US, South Africa, Germany, Japan (1994)

External debt

$1.95 billion (December 1994 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $6.9 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 31% industry: 14% services: 55% (1994)

GDP per capita

$700 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

9.9% (1995 est.)

Imports

$240 million (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment partners: South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

Industrial production growth rate

3.5% (1992 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

83.3% (1995 est.)

Labor force

428,000 wage earners by occupation: agriculture 43%, manufacturing 16%, personal services 15%, commerce 9%, construction 7%, miscellaneous services 4%, other permanently employed 6% (1986)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 118,480 sq km land area: 94,080 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Geographic note

landlocked

International disputes

dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

Irrigated land

200 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,881 km border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Land use

arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 20% forest and woodland: 50% other: 5%

Location

Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

limestone, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Terrain

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m highest point: Mount Mlanje Sapitwa 3,002 m

Administrative divisions

24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

Assembly were held at the end of the year as follows

UDF 87, MCP 55, AFORD 35 note: the constitution of 18 May 1995, in addition to reducing the age at which universal suffrage is conferred from 21 to 18 years, provided for a bicameral legislature; by 1999, in addition to the existing National Assembly, a Senate of 80 seats is to be elected

Capital

Lilongwe

Constitution

18 May 1995; most recent revision

Data code

MI

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Willie CHOKANI chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994), leader of the UDF, was elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage cabinet: Cabinet was named by the president

FAX

[265] 780 471

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band

Independence

6 July 1964 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

High Court; Supreme Court of Appeal

Legal system

based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form: Republic of Malawi conventional short form: Malawi former: Nyasaland

National Assembly

elections last held 17 May 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (177 total) UDF 84, AFORD 33, MCP 55, others 5; note - because of defections and a bi-election of 18 December 1995, the seats in the National

National holiday

Independence Day 6 July (1964); Republic Day 6 July (1966)

Political parties and leaders

ruling party: United Democratic Front (UDF), Bakili MULUZI opposition groups: Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Green MUNLO, secretary general (top party position); Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), Chakufwa CHIHANA; Christian Democratic Party (CDP), Eston KAKHOME, president; Malawi Democratic Party (MDP), Kampelo KALUA, president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

multiparty democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CHAVEAS embassy: address NA, in new capital city development area in Lilongwe mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] 783 166

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 2,189,223; female 2,168,317) 15-64 years: 51% (male 2,371,518; female 2,472,245) 65 years and over: 3% (male 107,701; female 143,840) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

41.56 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

24.48 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Infant mortality rate

139.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 36.16 years male: 35.87 years female: 36.46 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 56.4% male: 71.9% female: 41.8%

Nationality

noun: Malawian(s) adjective: Malawian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.) note: the return of refugees to Mozambique is apparently complete

Population

9,452,844 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.71% (1996 est.)

Religions

Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, traditional indigenous beliefs

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.91 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 41 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 4 with paved runways under 914 m: 20 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 14 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 27,294 km (1990 est.) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Ports

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota

Railways

total: 789 km narrow gauge: 789 km 1.067-m gauge

Waterways

Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km