Airports [time series]

48 total, 46 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

3 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

13,135 km total; 2,364 km paved; 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 10,520 km earth and improved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

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

Note [time series]

a majority of exports would normally go through Mozambique on the Beira or Nacala railroads, but now most go through South Africa because of insurgent activity and damage to rail lines

Ports [time series]

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, and Nkotakota--all on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

789 km 1.067-meter gauge

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

fair system of open-wire lines, radio relay links, and radio communication stations; 36,800 telephones; stations--8 AM, 4 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$22 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 1,960,082; 995,864 fit for military service

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, and corn; subsistence crops--potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses; livestock--cattle and goats

Budget [time series]

revenues $398 million; expenditures $510 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (FY91 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Malawian kwacha (plural--kwacha); 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $215 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.0 billion

Electricity [time series]

181,000 kW capacity; 535 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1--2.6300 (January 1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987), 1.8611 (1986), 1.7191 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$390 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts; partners--US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, FRG

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$1.4 billion (December 1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April-31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$1.6 billion, per capita $175; growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)

Imports [time series]

$560 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--food, petroleum, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment; partners--South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 4.9% (1989 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1988)

Industries [time series]

agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

11.7% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

A landlocked country, Malawi ranks among the world's least developed with a per capita GDP of $175. The economy is predominately agricultural and operates under a relatively free enterprise environment, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988-90 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The closure of traditional trade routes through Mozambique continues to be a constraint on the economy.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

none--landlocked

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

deforestation

Land boundaries [time series]

2,881 km total; Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 25%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 50%; other 5%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Maritime claims [time series]

none--landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

limestone; unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Note [time series]

landlocked

Terrain [time series]

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

Area (Total area) [time series]

118,480 km2; land area: 94,080 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Lilongwe

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

no Communist party

Constitution [time series]

6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA; Chancery at 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-1007; US--Ambassador George A. TRAIL, III; Embassy in new capital city development area, address NA (mailing address is P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe); telephone [265] 730-166

Executive branch [time series]

president, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands

Independence [time series]

6 July 1964 (from UK; formerly Nyasaland)

Judicial branch [time series]

High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal Chief of State and Head of Government--President Dr. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA (since 6 July 1966; sworn in as President for Life 6 July 1971)

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

unicameral National Assembly

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Malawi

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

only party--Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Maxwell PASHANE, administrative secretary; John TEMBO, treasurer general; top party position of secretary general vacant since 1983

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 21 President--President BANDA sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971; National Assembly--last held 27-28 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results--MCP is the only party; seats--(133 total, 112 elected) MCP 133

Government type (Type) [time series]

one-party state

Birth rate [time series]

52 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

136 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages (Language) [time series]

English and Chichewa (official); other languages important regionally

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

48 years male, 51 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

22% (male 34%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Malawian(s); adjective--Malawian

Net migration rate [time series]

- 17 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

small minority of wage earners are unionized

Population [time series]

9,438,462 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991); note--900,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1990 est.)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced

Total fertility rate [time series]

7.6 children born/woman (1991)