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Most details come
from CIA
World Fact book (For full list)
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Location:
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Southern Africa
13 30 S, 34 00 E
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Time:
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GMT -2
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season
(May to November)
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Population:
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9,609,081 (July 1997 est.)
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Weather:
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5-day
forecast
Weather
Forecast Malawi
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Languages:
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English (official), Chichewa (official), other
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Currency:
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1 Malawian kwacha
(MK) =100 tambala
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 Malawi
is a small and impoverished yet incredibly beautiful country. It is one
of Africa's best kept secrets; a country
blessed with an enormous 365 mile long freshwater lake, fringed with
beautiful beaches and simple fishing villages. Southern Malawi has
traditionally been the most visited area of Malawi but in recent years
the stunning natural beauty of the landscape, beaches and people of the
Northern Region have begun to win visitors over. It is 855km long, with
varying widths from 10km to 250km, covering a total area of 118484sq km,
of which over 24000sq km is fresh water - Lake Malawi, minor lakes and
rivers. Lake Malawi water surface area
is 28760 sq km.
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People
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Population:
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9,609,081 (July 1997 est.) 13,013,926
(July 2006 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.57% (1997 est.) 2.38% (2006 est.)
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Birth rate:
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40.79 births/1,000 population (1997
est.) 43.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Death rate:
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25.08 deaths/1,000 population (1997
est.) 19.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under
15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 94.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male:
98.66 deaths/1,000 live births female:
89.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006
est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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5.92 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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Total population: 35.26 years male:
34.86 years female: 35.68 years (1997 est.)
Total population: 41.7 years male:
41.93 years female: 41.45 years (2006 est.)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
Total population: 56.4%, male:
71.9%, female: 41.8% (1995 est.)
Total population: 62.7%, male:76.1%,
female: 49.8% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS
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adult prevalence rate 14.2% (2003
est.)
people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000
(2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases
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degree of risk: very high food or
waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases:
malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)
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Nationality:
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noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian
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| Religions: |
Christian
79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census)
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Ethnic groups
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Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe,
Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European
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| Languages |
Chichewa
57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka
9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other
3.6% (1998 census) |
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Government
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Country name:
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Conventional long form : Republic
of Malawi
Conventional short form: Malawi
Former: Nyasaland
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Data code:
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MI
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Government type:
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Multiparty democracy
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National capital:
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Lilongwe
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Independence:
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6 July 1964 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day 6 July (1964); Republic
Day 6 July (1966)
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Legal system:
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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
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Universal Suffrage:
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18 years
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Judicial branch:
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High Court; Supreme Court of Appeal
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Flag description:
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Three equal horizontal bands of black
(top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red
sun centered in the black band
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Administrative divisions
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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
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Economy
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GDP:
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Purchasing power parity - $7.364
billion (2005 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6% (1996 est.) 1.9% (2005 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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Purchasing power parity - $800 (1996
est.) $600 (2005 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture
:45%
industry: 30%
services:25% (1995 est.)
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agriculture:
34.2%
industry: 15.8%
services: 49.9% (2005 est.) |
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Inflation rate - consumer price
index:
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83.3% (1995 est.)
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Labour
force:
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total:
3.5 million (1990 est.) 4.5 million (2001 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 86%, wage earners
14% (1990 est.)
agriculture: 90% industry and services:
10% (2003 est.)
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Population below poverty line
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55% (2004 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $530 million
expenditures: $674 million, including capital
expenditures of $129 million (1993)
revenues: $844.6 million
expenditures: $913.9 million; including
capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
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Industries:
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tea, tobacco, sugar, sawmill products,
cement, consumer goods
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1% (1994 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea,
corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses,
groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats
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Exports:
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total value:$431 million (f.o.b.,
1995 est.) $364 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts,
wood products ,apparel
partners : US 18%, South Africa 12.2%, Egypt
7.6%, Germany 7%, Netherlands 6.9%, Japan 4.8%, Russia
4.6%, UK 4.2%, Mozambique 4% (2005)
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Imports:
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total value:$348 million (f.o.b.,
1995 est.) $645 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
commodities:: food, petroleum products, semi
manufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
partners: South
Africa 37.9%, Zambia 8.7%, Mozambique 7.8%, Zimbabwe
7.3%, India 6.4%, Tanzania 4.6% (2005)
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Debt - external:
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$2.2 billion (1995 est.) $3.287 billion
(2005 est.)
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Currency:
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1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala
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Economic aid - recipient
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$401.5 million (2001)
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Transportation
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Railways:
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total: 797 km
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Highways:
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total: 28,400 km paved: 5,254 km
unpaved: 23,146 km (1999)
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Waterways:
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700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and Shire River) (2006)
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Ports and harbours:
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Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay,
Nkhotakota, Chilumba
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Most details
come from CIA
World Fact book (For full list)
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Together Helping Does Make a Difference
Malawi - Friends of Mulanje
Orphans (FOMO)
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