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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 47 usable: 41 with permanent-surface runways: 5 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 10

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, Nacala, and Limgogo 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 communications stations; 42,250 telephones; broadcast stations - 10 AM, 17 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $22 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 2,059,509; fit for military service 1,048,986 (1993 est.)

Economy

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, goats

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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 (1970-89), $2,150 million

Electricity [time series]

190,000 kW capacity; 620 million kWh produced, 65 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1 - 4.3418 (November 1992), 2.8033 (1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$400 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts, wood products partners: US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, Germany

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$1.8 billion (December 1991 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

Imports [time series]

$660 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment partners: South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

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

growth rate 4.0% (1990 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]

21% (1992 est.)

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

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.9 billion (1992 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$200 (1992 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

-7.7% (1992 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988-91 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. Drought cut overall output sharply in 1992. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 118,480 km2 land area: 94,080 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

deforestation

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

200 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and Zambia

Map references [time series]

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Lilongwe

Constitution [time series]

6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974

Digraph [time series]

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 797-1007

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

President: President BANDA sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971 National Assembly: last held 26-27 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1997); results - MCP is the only party; seats - (141 total, 136 elected) MCP 141

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)

Judicial branch [time series]

High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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

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, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), Chakufwa CHIHANA; United Democratic Front (UDF) Bakili MULUZI; Malawi Democratic People (MDP), leader NA

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

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

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

one-party republic note: a referendum to determine whether Malawi should remain a one-party state is scheduled to be held on 14 June 1993

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael T. F. PISTOR embassy: address NA, in new capital city development area in Lilongwe mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe telephone: [265] 730-166 FAX: [265] 732-282

People

Birth rate [time series]

51.1 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

22.87 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

141.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

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)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 40.48 years male: 39.61 years female: 41.37 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Malawian(s) adjective: Malawian

Net migration rate [time series]

-37.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

9,831,935 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

-0.95% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

7.5 children born/woman (1993 est.)