Official Name: Known as the Republic of Malawi, or more commonly known as Malawi, formerly known as Nyasaland.
Capital: The capital city of Malawi is Lilongwe. It is located inland, in the central region of the country fairly close to the borders of Mozambique and Zambia.
Location: Malawi is located in Southern Africa. It is a landlocked nation and is next to the countries of Zambia, Tanzania Mozambique. Lake Malawi separates the country from Tanzania and Mozambique.
Size: The total gross area of Malawi is 118,484 square kilometers, and this ranks 106th globally. The country compares in size to the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Climate: Malawi’s climate is sub-tropical, with a well delineated rainy season (from November through May) and dry season (May through November).
Population: Malawi has a gross population of approximately 14.3 million people, and ranks 67th worldwide. It is important to note that estimates for Malawi take into account the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the excess mortality that is caused due to it.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for Malawi is 43.82 years and this ranks among the lowest life expectancies in the world. This is largely due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic that the country is battling. It is important to note that unlike most other countries the life expectancy for females is lower than that of males by over half a year. This is largely due to the epidemic and vast numbers of deaths that occur among pregnant women.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Malawi is 11.9% and is one of the highest prevalence rates in the world. It is estimated that close to one million people are living with the illness, placing 15th in the world. Of these persons, 68,000 perish from the illness, ranking 10th worldwide. The disease has reached epidemic proportions and is the most serious health issue affecting Malawi today.
Major illnesses: The risk of major infectious diseases in Malawi is very high. Major illnesses include food or waterborne diseases like bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever. Vectorborne and water contact diseases include malaria, plague and schistosomiasis as well as animal contact diseases such as rabies.
Ethnic Groups: Malawi is made up of a number of ethnic groups which include Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian and European.
Languages: Malawi’s official language is Chichewa, and this is spoken by 57.2% of the population. Other languages and dialects are spoken throughout the nation, and these include Chinyanja (12.8%), Chiyao (10.1%), Chitumbuka (9.5%), Chisena (2.7%), Chilomwe (2.4%), Chitonga (1.7%), and other (3.6%).
Religion: Malawi is mostly Christian at 79.9%, with the bulk of the group being Roman Catholic. Other religions include Muslim (12.8%), other religions (3%) and none (4.3%).
Government: Malawi is a multiparty democracy. It has been this way since ex-leader Hastings Banda was ousted in 1994, along with the single party system. Suffrage is universal, and at 18 years of age. The current constitution was established in 1995 and breaks the government down into three branches of government: the executive, legislative and judicial. Like many systems of this kind in the world, the excutive branch is run by the president, who is also the head of state and government. The legislative branch is composed of a 193 member unicameral National Assembly. The judicial branch is modeled after the English model.
Head of State: The Head of State in Malawi is President Bingu wa Mutharika. The President, like the model in the United States, is both the head of state and the head government. The president runs the cabinet and is permitted to elect up to two vice presidents for support.
Head of Government: The Head of Government is President Bingu wa Mutharika. The presidential term in Malawi is 5 years. The President runs the day to day activities of government in the country.
Military: Malawi Armed Forces are broken up into three distinct sections, the Army, Navy and Air Wing. There is conscription at 18 years of age for voluntary military service. The standard service obligation is 2 years of active duty and 5 years of reserve duty. The country spends about 1.3% of its GDP on its military, ranking 123rd worldwide.
Economy: Malawi is one Africa’s most densely populated and least developed nations. The country is largely agricultural, with close to 85% of the country’s populous living in rural neighborhoods. Agriculture accounts for close to one third of the GDP, as well as 90% of export earnings. Tobacco accounts for over half of the country’s exports, thus making tobaccos performance a key to economic growth. Along with its own exports, Malawi relies heavily on the economic support of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other donor nations. Through the Millennium Change Corporation (MCC), Malawi hopes to receive funding from the United States, with which it has good ties. It also receives support from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HPIC) program. All of these approvals will hopefully see a turnaround for Malawi’s stunted economic growth.
GDP: Malawi has purchasing power parity GDP of US$ 11.56 billion, and this ranks 143rd worldwide. Its official growth rate is 6.5%, which ranks 45th globally. The per capita GDP stands at US$800, ranking 218th globally, and is one of the lowest per capita GDPs in the world.
|
