Malawi

Location

• Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique
• landlocked; Lake Nyasa, about 580 km (360 mi) long, is the country's most prominent physical feature; it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Lilongwe	1,115,815	Capital
Blantyre	902,588
Mzuzu	249,564
Zomba	118,440
Karonga	69,486
Kasungu	66,152
Mangochi	60,338
Salima	41,492
Liwonde	41,077
Balaka	40,950

Size

• 45,745 square miles
• 118,480 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

History

Malawi shares its name with the Chewa word for flames and is linked to the Maravi people from whom the Chewa language originated. The Maravi settled in what is now Malawi around 1400, during one of the later waves of Bantu migration across central and southern Africa. A powerful Maravi kingdom established around 1500 reached its zenith around 1700, when it controlled what is now southern and central Malawi and portions of neighboring Mozambique and Zambia. The kingdom eventually declined because of destabilization from the escalating global trade in enslaved people. In the early 1800s, widespread conflict in southern Africa displaced various ethnic Ngoni groups, some of which moved into Malawi and further undermined the Maravi. Members of the Yao ethnic group -- which had long traded with Malawi from Mozambique -- introduced Islam and began to settle in Malawi in significant numbers in the mid-1800s, followed by members of the Lomwe ethnic group. British missionary and trading activity increased in the area around Lake Nyasa in the mid-1800s, and in 1891, Britain declared a protectorate called British Central Africa over what is now Malawi. The British renamed the territory Nyasaland in 1907, and it was part of the colonial Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland -- including present-day Zambia and Zimbabwe -- from 1953 to 1963 before gaining independence as Malawi in 1964. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA served as prime minister at independence and then as president when the country became a republic in 1966. He later instituted one-party rule under his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and was declared president for life. After three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. Bakili MULUZI of the United Democratic Front party became the first freely elected president of Malawi when he defeated BANDA at the polls in 1994; he won reelection in 1999. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA was elected in 2004 and reelected to a second term in 2009. He died abruptly in 2012 and was succeeded by Vice President Joyce BANDA. MUTHARIKA's brother, Peter MUTHARIKA, defeated BANDA in the election in 2014. Peter MUTHARIKA was reelected in a disputed election in 2019 that resulted in countrywide protests. The courts ordered a new election, and in 2020, Lazarus CHAKWERA of the MCP was elected president. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.

Climate

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

Terrain

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

Languages

English (official), Chewa (dominant), Lambya, Lomwe, Ngoni, Nkhonde, Nyakyusa, Nyanja, Sena, Tonga, Tumbuka, Yaonote: Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects; Nkhonde and Nyakyusa are mutually intelligible dialects

Religions

Protestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 14.2%, Seventh Day Adventist/Baptist 9.4%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 2.3%), Roman Catholic 17.2%, other Christian 26.6%, Muslim 13.8%, traditionalist 1.1%, other 5.6%, none 2.1% (2018 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: previous 1953 (pre-independence), 1964, 1966; latest drafted January to May 1994, approved 16 May 1994, entered into force 18 May 1995amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty and territory of the state, fundamental constitutional principles, human rights, voting rights, and the judiciary, requires majority approval in a referendum and majority approval by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of English common law and customary law; Supreme Court of Appeal reviews legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020)head of government: President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020)cabinet: Cabinet named by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: September 2030election results: 2025: Peter MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote- Peter MUTHARIKA (DPP) 56.8%, Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 33.0%, Dalitso KABAMBE (UTM) 3.95, Atupele MULUZI (UDF) 1.92%, Joyce BANDA (PP) 1.61%, other 2.72%2020: Lazarus CHAKWERA elected president; Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 59.3%, Peter Mutharika (DPP) 39.9%, other 0.8%expected date of next election: September 2025note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; other judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, which regulates judicial officers; judges serve until age 65subordinate courts: High Court; magistrate courts; Industrial Relations Court; district and city traditional or local courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assemblylegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 193 (all directly elected)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 5/21/2019parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (62); Malawi Congress Party (MCP) (55); United Democratic Front (UDF) (10); Independents (55); Other (10)percentage of women in chamber: 20.7%expected date of next election: September 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• low-income East African economy; primarily agrarian; investing in human capital; urban poverty increasing due to COVID-19; high public debt; endemic corruption and poor property rights; poor hydroelectric grid; localized pharmaceutical industry
• Budget: revenues: $2.208 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $3.523 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
• Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods
• Agricultural Products: sweet potatoes, cassava, maize, sugarcane, mangoes/guavas, potatoes, tomatoes, pigeon peas, pumpkins/squash, plantains (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 64.2% (2022 est.)arable land: 42.4% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 19.6% (2022 est.)forest: 22.9% (2022 est.)other: 12.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, fertilizers, plastics, garments, postage stamps/documents (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 17%, South Africa 16%, UAE 12%, India 7%, Tanzania 7% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: tobacco, tea, dried legumes, soybean meal, raw sugar (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 11%, India 7%, Zimbabwe 6%, South Africa 5%, USA 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports