Malawi Country Profile

General Info


 

Official Name : Republic of Malawi
Capital City : Lilongwe
Major cities : Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba

 malawi flag free wallpaper 1991449103

 

The flag of Malawi has a horizontal tricolour of black, red and green with a red rising sun centred on the black stripe. The black stripe represents the indigenous people of the African contents, the red symbolises the blood of their struggle, and the green represents nature. The rising sun represents the dawn of hope and freedom for the African continent

 

Geography


map 

 

 

Location & boundary:
  • Malawi is located in south eastern Africa
  • It is wholly within the tropics; from about 9°30S at its northernmost point to about 17°S at the southernmost tip.
  • It lies between latitudes 9° and 18°S, and longitudes 32° and 36°E
  • Malawi shares boarders with Zambia in the west and north west, Mozambique in the southwest and south east, and Tanzania in the north
Surface Area:
  • The total area of the country is 118,484 km², but this includes 24,404 km² of water surface, mainly composed of Lake Malawi, but there are other lakes, namely as Lake Malombe, Lake Chilwa and Lake Chiuta.
  • Lake Malawi, Africa’s third largest lake which has shire river as an outlet.
Topography:
  • The terrain of Malawi is breath -taking comprising plateaus, plains, hills and mountains.
  • The plateaus include Nyika and Viphya plateaus and Misuku hills to the North, Dedza and Kirk range mountains in the Centre.
  • In southern Malawi, the terrain is equally varied with escarpments, highlands and mountains and low marshy lands along the Shire River.
  • Mulanje Mountain which is home to the rare Mulanje cedar, it is the highest mountain in Central Africa, with the highest point, Sapitwa peak rising to 3, 050 metres above sea level.
Climate:

Malawi's climate is generally tropical.

 

May to August

Cool and dry, July being the coldest month, with temperatures ranging from 15.5 to 18.0 degrees Celsius in the plateau and 20.0 to 24.5 degrees Celsius in the rift valley areas. There is little rain in this season; most of it falling in the high southeast facing slopes.

September to mid-November

Hot and dry, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 25 end 27 to 30 degrees Celsius in the plateau areas and the rift valley respectively.

 

Mid-November to April

Hot and rainy, with 90% of the annual rainfall being received. December and January are the wettest months. Total annual rainfall overages 760 to 1,015mm with some areas in the plateau recording over 1,525mm.

 
Natural Resources: Malawi is naturally endowed with vast natural resources including arable land, water, hydropower, mineral deposits of uranium, limestone, coal, bauxite, gemstones, and niobium.
Environment: The environment in Malawi is undergoing severe degradation; a situation caused by a rapidly growing and rural based population that is largely dependent on natural resources for its livelihood. The reliance on natural resources has exerted pressure on the environment causing a number of problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, water degradation, and loss of biodiversity among many others. Inadequate funding is a major hindrance to the implementation of environmental and natural resource management activities in Malawi.

 

Population

Population and Demography
Population of Malawi constitutes predominantly Bantu speaking black African people. There are 8 major tribes in Malawi. Asians and a few Europeans also constitute a sizeable number of Malawi's population
Population: 20.9  Million (2023, DEPD)
Population Density: 186 per square kilometre (2018, NSO)
Growth Rate: 2.9 % (2018, NSO)
Crude Birth Rate: 32.8 per 1000 population (2018, NSO)
Infant Mortality Rate: 33 per 1000 live births (2018, NSO)
Crude Death Rate: 6.3  per 1000 population (2018, NSO)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 68 years (2018)
Urban Population: 2,783,364 (2018, NSO)

 

Economy

Economy
Malawi’s economy revolves around agriculture, which supports well over 80% of the population.  Maize is grown as the staple food for home consumption. However, tobacco, tea, cotton, coffee and sugar are important for trade. Agricultural produce brings in more than 80% of the country's export earnings. Manufacturing in the country is minimal. Most industry is based in or around the commercial city of Blantyre in the south.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 13.6 billion (2022, World Bank)
Real GDP Growth: 2. 4% ( 2023 estimates, IMF)
Per Capita GDP: US$ 645.2  (2022, World Bank)
Consumer Price Index: 139.14 (June 2023, NSO and RBM)
Year on Year Inflation Rate: 26.9% (October 2023, NSO)
Government Expenditure: US$192.84 billion (March 2022, DEPD)
External Debt: US$ 3.64 Billion (March 2022, DEPD)
Total Expenditures: 26.7% of GDP 2022/2023 (DEPD)
Budget Surplus/Deficit: 8.8% of GDP 2022/2023 (Estimated deficit, DEPD)
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate): 5.6%  (2022, World Bank)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: 23.4% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Manufacturing 12.2 % GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Services: 42.8% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Wholesale and Retail Trade: 12.0% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Construction: 3.2% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Mining and Quarrying: 0.7% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Exports: 8.2% GDP (2022, RBM)
Imports: 12.2% GDP (2022, RBM)
Trade Balance: 4.0% GDP (2022, RBM)
Net Errors and Omissions (NEO): 11.6% GDP (2022, RBM)
Capital Account Balance (CAB): 2.8% GDP (2022, RBM)
Foreign Direct Investment: US$ 158.6 Million  (2022, RBM)
Currency and Exchange Rate: Malawi currency is the Malawi Kwacha (MK). The exchange rate is liberalized.
Fiscal Year: April to March