Country: Malawi - Geography Total area: 118,480 km2; land area: 94,080 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: 2,881 km total; Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km Coastline: none--landlocked Maritime claims: none--landlocked Disputes: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains Natural resources: limestone; unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite Land use: 25% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures; 50% forest and woodland; 5% other; includes NEGL% irrigated Environment: deforestation Note: landlocked - People Population: 9,157,528 (July 1990), growth rate 1.8% (1990) Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: - 16 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 130 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 50 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 7.7 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Malawian(s); adjective--Malawian Ethnic divisions: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European Religion: 55% Protestant, 20% Roman Catholic, 20% Muslim; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced Language: English and Chichewa (official); other languages important regionally Literacy: 41.2% Labor force: 428,000 wage earners; 43% agriculture, 16% manufacturing, 15% personal services, 9% commerce, 7% construction, 4% miscellaneous services, 6% other permanently employed (1986) Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized Note: there are 800,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1989 est.) - Government Long-form name: Republic of Malawi Type: one-party state Capital: Lilongwe Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Kasupe, Lilongwe, Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ncheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhota Kota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK; formerly Nyasaland) Constitution: 6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964) Executive branch: president, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Dr. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA (since 6 July 1966; sworn in as President for Life 6 July 1971) Political parties and leaders: only party--Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Maxwell Pashane, administrative secretary; John Tembo, treasurer general; top party position of secretary general vacant since 1983 Suffrage: universal at age 21 Elections: President--President Banda sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971; National Assembly--last held 27-28 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results--MCP is the only party; seats--(133 total, 112 elected) MCP 133 Communists: no Communist party Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, EC (associated member), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA; Chancery at 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-1007; US--Ambassador George A. TRAIL, III; Embassy in new capital city development area, address NA (mailing address is P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe); telephone 730-166 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands - Economy Overview: A landlocked country, Malawi ranks among the world's least developed with a per capita GDP of $180. The economy is predominately agricultural and operates under a relatively free enterprise environment, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. The closure of traditional trade routes through Mozambique continues to be a constraint on the economy. GDP: $1.4 billion, per capita $180; growth rate 3.6% (1988) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 31.5% (1988) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $246 million; expenditures $390 million, including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY88 est.) Exports: $292 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts; partners--US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, FRG Imports: $402 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--food, petroleum, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment; partners--South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe External debt: $1.4 billion (December 1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 6.4% (1988) Electricity: 181,000 kW capacity; 535 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, and corn; subsistence crops--potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses; livestock--cattle and goats Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $182 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.8 billion Currency: Malawian kwacha (plural--kwacha); 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala Exchange rates: Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1--2.6793 (January 1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987), 1.8611 (1986), 1.7191 (1985) Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March - Communications Railroads: 789 km 1.067-meter gauge Highways: 13,135 km total; 2,364 km paved; 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 10,520 km earth and improved earth Inland waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km Ports: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, and Nkotakota--all on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft Airports: 48 total, 47 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire lines, radio relay links, and radio communication stations; 36,800 telephones; stations--8 AM, 4 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT Note: a majority of exports would normally go through Mozambique on the Beira or Nacala railroads, but now most go through South Africa because of insurgent activity and damage to rail lines - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Army Air Wing, Army Naval Detachment, paramilitary Police Mobile Force Unit, paramilitary Young Pioneers Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,904,445; 967,032 fit for military service Defense expenditures: 1.6% of GDP, or $22 million (1989 est.)