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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 47 usable: 41 with permanent-surface runways: 6 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]

total: 13,135 km paved: 2,364 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 251 km; earth, improved earth 10,520 km

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),

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 2,046,413; fit for military service 1,043,674

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: $416 million expenditures: $498 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $215 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.15 billion

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 190,000 kW production: 620 million kWh consumption per capita: 65 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1 - 4.4598 (November 1993), 3.6033 (1992), 2.8033 (1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989)

Exports [time series]

$413 million (f.o.b., 1992) 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]

$737 million (c.i.f., 1992) 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 3.5% (1992 est.); accounts for about 15% of GDP (1992 est.)

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 - purchasing power equivalent $6 billion (1993 est.)

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

$600 (1993 est.)

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

-8% (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 sq km land area: 94,080 sq km 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]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

200 sq km (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 1966; 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 [time series]

chief of state and head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994), leader of the United Democratic Front cabinet: Cabinet; named by the president

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

[265] 780-471

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

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

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

Legislative branch (National Assembly) [time series]

elections last held 17 May 1994 (next to be held NA); seats - (177 total) UDF 84, AFORD 33, MCP 55, others 5

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

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

ruling party: United Democratic Front (UDF), Bakili MULUZI opposition groups: Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Gwanda CHAKUAMBA Phiri, secretary general (top party position); Alliance for Democracy (Aford), Chakufwa CHIHANA; Socialist League of Malawi (Lesoma), Kapote MWAKUSULA, secretary general; Malawi Democratic Union (MDU), Harry BWANAUSI; Congress for the Second Republic (CSR), Kanyama CHIUME; Malawi Socialist Labor Party (MSLP), Stanford SAMBANEMANJA

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

multiparty democracy following a referendum on 14 June 1993; formerly a one-party republic

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 3, Malawi telephone: [265] 783-166

People

Birth rate [time series]

50.42 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate [time series]

23.19 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

141.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 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: 39.73 years male: 38.93 years female: 40.55 years (1994 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]

-38.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population [time series]

9,732,409 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

-1.09% (1994 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

7.43 children born/woman (1994 est.)