Country's Backgrounds and Profiles... |
|
|
||||
|
||||
Choose a page below...
|
The Transatlantic Education Mega-Site...We invite you to add ed-u.com to your list of favorites/bookmarks. Internet Explorer users please click here, and others, right click here -> ed-u.com. Also, you can learn how to make any ed-u.com page your start page by clicking here.
US Shopping Guides, travel resources, accommodations, airlines, cruise lines, rentals, reviews, education, churches...
Click for your free quote wherever you are in the World.
You've taken the time to learn French, German, Italian or Spanish! You've spent money on various self study tape courses! You've attended a language course abroad! Why risk loosing the language by not keeping it up to date? Why not join the thousands of intermediate and advanced language students on six continents who use Champs-Elysées, Schau ins Land, Puerta Sol, and Acquerello italiano to stay in touch with the languages and cultures they love.
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.
Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E Map references: Africa Area:
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Land boundaries:
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:
Natural resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite Land use:
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1993 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 agreements:
Geography - note: landlocked
Population:
10,385,849
Age structure:
Population growth rate: 1.61% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 38.49 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 22.44 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 122.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 5.33 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs Languages: English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally Literacy:
Country name:
Data code: MI Government type: multiparty democracy Capital: Lilongwe Administrative divisions:
24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba
Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day 6 July (1964); Republic Day 6 July (1966) Constitution: 18 May 1995 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:
Legislative branch:
National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eston KAKHOME, president]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US:
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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 - 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 37% of GDP and 85% of export revenues. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to spur exports, to improve educational and health facilities, to face up to environmental problems of deforestation and erosion, and to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS. GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.4 billion (1999 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $940 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: 54% (1990-91 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 45% (1999) Labor force: 3.5 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 86%, wage earners 14% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget:
Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 922 million kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 857 million kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats Exports: $510 million (f.o.b., 1999) Exports - commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products Exports - partners: South Africa 15%, US 9%, Germany 9%, Netherlands 7%, Japan (1998) Imports: $512 million (f.o.b., 1999) Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment Imports - partners: South Africa 38%, Zimbabwe 18%, Zambia 8%, Japan 4%, US, UK, Germany (1998) Debt - external: $2.3 billion (1999 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $416.5 million (1995) Currency: 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas (MK) per US$1 - 46.3494 (December 1999), 44.0881 (1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442 (1997), 15.3085 (1996), 15.2837 (1995) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Telephones - main lines in use: 34,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 382 (1995) Telephone system:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 4 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 2.6 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999) Televisions: 0 (1999) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
Railways:
Highways:
Waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km Ports and harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba Airports: 44 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Military branches: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit) Military manpower - availability:
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $17 million (FY96/97) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (FY96/97)
Disputes - international: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) Please click here for a guide to the country profiles Click here for all other countries
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
