Introduction
Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution, which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bakili MULUZI came to power in the 1994 elections and was reelected to office in 1999. His attempts to amend the constitution to allow for a third term have been unsuccessful. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country.
Location
Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic coordinates
13 30 S, 34 00 E
Area
total: 118,480 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
Land boundaries
total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Terrain
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains
Elevation extremes
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m
Natural resources
limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
Irrigated land
280 sq km (1998 est.)
Environment - current issues
deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note
landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature
Population
11,906,855
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)