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2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Malawi
n : a landlocked republic in southern central Africa; achieved
independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 [syn: {Republic
of Malawi}, {Nyasaland}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Malawi
Introduction Malawi
-------------------
Background: Established in 1891, the British
protectorate of Nyasaland became the
independent nation of Malawi in
1964. After three decades of one-
party rule, the country held
multiparty elections in 1994 under a
provisional constitution, which took
full effect the following year.
National multiparty elections were
held again in 1999.
Geography Malawi
----------------
Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 118,480 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569
km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November
to May); dry season (May to
November)
Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with
rolling plains, rounded hills, some
mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Shire
River and international boundary
with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount
Mlanje) 3,002 m
Natural resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower,
unexploited deposits of uranium,
coal, and bauxite
Land use: arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33%
other: 78.74% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: deforestation; land degradation;
water pollution from agricultural
runoff, sewage, industrial wastes;
siltation of spawning grounds
endangers fish populations
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the
Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km
long, is the country's most
prominent physical feature
People Malawi
-------------
Population: 10,701,824
note: estimates for this country
explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to
AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality
and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the
distribution of population by age
and sex than would otherwise be
expected (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (male 2,358,730;
female 2,347,017)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 2,810,478;
female 2,884,601)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male
120,761; female 180,237) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.39% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 37.13 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 23.2 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 119.96 deaths/1,000 live births
(2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 36.59 years
female: 37.15 years (2002 est.)
male: 36.05 years
Total fertility rate: 5.04 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 15.96% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 800,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 70,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian
Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe,
Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian,
European
Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%,
other 2%
Languages: English (official), Chichewa
(official), other languages
important regionally
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 58%
male: 72.8%
female: 43.4% (1999 est.)
Government Malawi
-----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi
former: British Central African
Protectorate, Nyasaland
Protectorate, Nyasaland
Government type: multiparty democracy
Capital: Lilongwe
Administrative divisions: 27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre,
Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa,
Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu,
Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe),
Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza,
Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay,
Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi,
Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo,
Zomba
Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day (Republic Day), 6
July (1964)
Constitution: 18 May 1994
Legal system: 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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Bakili
MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note -
the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Bakili
MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note -
the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: 38-member Cabinet named by
the president
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 June 1999
(next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Bakili MULUZI
reelected president; percent of vote
- Bakili MULUZI (UDF) 51.4%,
Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MCP-AFORD)
44.3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (193
seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 June 1999
(next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by
party - UDF 48%, MCP 34%, AFORD 15%,
others 3%; seats by party - UDF 96,
MCP 61, AFORD 30, others 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court
(chief justice appointed by the
president, puisne judges appointed
on the advice of the Judicial
Service Commission); magistrate's
courts
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or AFORD
[Chakufwa CHIHANA, president];
Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Gwanda
CHAKUAMBA, president, John TEMBO,
vice president]; Malawi Democratic
Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA,
president]; United Democratic Front
or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing
party
Political pressure groups and National Democratic Alliance [Brown
leaders: MPINGANJIRA]
International organization ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77,
participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paul
Tony Steven KANDIERO
FAX: [1] (202) 265-0976
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Roger
US: A. MEECE
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta
Road
mailing address: P. O. Box 30016,
Lilongwe 3, Malawi
telephone: [265] 773 166
FAX: [265] 770 471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of
black (top), red, and green with a
radiant, rising, red sun centered in
the black band
Government - note: the executive exerts considerable
influence over the legislature
Economy Malawi
--------------
Economy - overview: 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 88% of export revenues. The
economy depends on substantial
inflows of economic assistance from
the IMF, the World Bank, and
individual donor nations. In late
2000, Malawi was approved for relief
under the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) program. The
government faces strong challenges,
e.g., to fully develop a market
economy, to improve educational
facilities, to face up to
environmental problems, and to deal
with the rapidly growing problem of
HIV/AIDS. The performance of the
tobacco sector is key to short-term
growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $7 billion
(2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $660 (2001
est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 19%
services: 41% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 54% (FY90/91 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 28.6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 4.5 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 86% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $490 million
expenditures: $523 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill
products, cement, consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 825 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.03%
hydro: 96.97%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 767.25 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea,
corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats,
groundnuts, Macadamia nuts
Exports: $415.5 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee,
peanuts, wood products, apparel
Exports - partners: South Africa 18%, Germany 13%, US
13%, UK 10%, Japan 7%, Netherlands
3% (2000)
Imports: $463.6 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products,
semimanufactures, consumer goods,
transportation equipment
Imports - partners: South Africa 40%, UK 11%, Zimbabwe
7%, Japan 5%, Germany 2%, US 1.8%,
Zambia (2000)
Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $427 million (1999)
Currency: Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Currency code: MWK
Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar -
67.3111 (December 2001), 72.1973
(2001), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881
(1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442
(1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Malawi
---------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 38,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 49,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire
lines, microwave radio relay links,
and radiotelephone communications
stations
international: satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater
stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third
station held in standby status)
(2001)
Radios: 2.6 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .mw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2001)
Internet users: 15,000 (2000)
Transportation Malawi
---------------------
Railways: total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge
(2001)
Highways: total: 14,594 km
paved: 2,773 km
unpaved: 11,821 km (2001)
Waterways: 144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and Shire Riverall
Ports and harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay,
Nkhotakota, Chilumba
Airports: 44 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 23 (2001)
Military Malawi
---------------
Military branches: Army (including Air Wing and Naval
Detachment), Police (including
paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,535,207 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,301,625 (2002
service: est.)
Military expenditures - dollar $9.5 million (FY00/01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 0.76% (FY00/01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Malawi
---------------------------
Disputes - international: Malawi and Tanzania maintain a
largely dormant dispute over the
boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and current location of historical
boundary in meandering Songwe River
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