| Malawi is located in Southern
Africa and is bordered by Zambia (837Km) to the West, Tanzania (475 Km) to
the North and East, and Mozambique (1569 Km) to the South. It
covers an area of 118,480 Sq. Km. It's capital City is
Lilongwe.
 Geography
Malawi is
a landlocked Country with varying terrain across it. It has main highland
areas of Nyika and Viphya Plateaus to the North and other parts of the
country, with the highest elevation point on Mount Mulanje called Sapitwa
(3002m). Most low lying areas are found along the lake Shore, with lowest
elevation point located at the junction of the Shire river and the
international boundary with Mozambique (37m). Lake Malawi is the largest
lake among other lakes namely Chirwa, Malombe, and
Kazuni.
Malawi experiences a tropical Climate with dry seasons during
the months of May to November and rainy season during the other months
particularly December to March.
People
Malawi has a population of
about 10,000,416 (July 1999 est.), with 90% of the population living in
the rural areas, and population growth rate of 1.57% (1999
est.).
The ethnic group composition of Malawian Culture includes
Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian and
European. The national language is Chichewa while English is the official
language. Other languages are Tumbuka used in the North and Yao in the
South.
Most people in Malawi are Christians while others still
observe traditional beliefs. The religions of Malawi include Protestants
(55%), Roman Catholic (20%), Muslim (20%), and the remaining for
traditional indigenous beliefs and other minor religions.
Economy
As a
land locked country, Malawi's economy is predominantly based on
agriculture which accounts for about 45 % of Gross National Product and
more than 90% of the country's export earnings. At least 80% of the
agricultural produce comes from smallholder farmers on customary land. The
rest is produced by commercial farmers on estates. the main crops grown in
Malawi are Maize, tobacco, tea, sugarcane, groundnuts, cotton, wheat,
coffee, rice, and pulses.
Malawi is an exporter of primary produce
and net importer of industrial goods. It's major exports include
tobacco, sugar, and groundnuts while it's major imports are intermediate
(chemical and allied) goods for industry.
The economy also depends
on substantial inflows of economic assistance from IMF, the World Bank,
and individual donor nations.
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