| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi
former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
| Capital: |
Lilongwe |
| Location: |
Southern Africa, east of Zambia |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
13 30 S, 34 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
water: 24,400 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 |
| Elavation
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 |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
multiparty democracy |
| Administratives
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 Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)
election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (UDF) 35.9%, John TEMBO (MCP) 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MC) 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA (NDA) 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI (independent) 2.5% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UDF 74, MCP 60, Independents 24, RP 16, others 18, vacancies 1 |
| 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]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP) [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; New Congress for Democracy or NCD [Hetherwick NTABA]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA] - governing party |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
12,158,924
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 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,877,568/female 2,823,296)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 3,041,352/female 3,081,762)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 132,175/female 202,771) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 16.34 years
male: 16.04 years
female: 16.65 years (2005 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
85,000 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
135,100 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: country code - 265; 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) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (2001) |
| Internet country
code: |
.mw |
| Internet hosts: |
18 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
36,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 28,400 km
paved: 5,254 km
unpaved: 23,146 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
700 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (2003) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
42 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
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