MALAWI
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LAND
95,053 km2; about 31% of land area arable (of which less than half is cultivated), nearly 25% forested, 6% meadow and pasture, 38% other Land boundaries: 2,881 km
PEOPLE
Population: 6,410,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.0%
Nationality: noun—Malawian(s); adjective—Malawian
Ethnic divisions: over 99% native African, less than 1% European and Asian
Religion: majority animist; rest Christian and Muslim
Language: English and Chichewa official; Tombuka is second African language
Literacy: 15% of population
Labor force: 331,536 wage earners employed in Malawi (1978); 48% agriculture, 10% construction, 10% commerce, 11% manufacturing, 15% personal services, 5% miscellaneous services; 6,000 Europeans permanently employed
Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Republic of Malawi
Type: one-party state
Capital: Lilongwe
Political subdivisions: 3 administrative regions and 24 districts
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; constitution adopted 1964; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Republic Day, 6 July
Branches: strong presidential system with Cabinet appointed by President; unicameral National Assembly of 87 elected and up to 15 nominated members; High Court with Chief Justice and at least two justices
Government leader: Life President Dr. H. Kamuzu BANDA
Suffrage: universal adult (21 years)
Elections: parliamentary elections June 1978
Political parties and leaders: Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Secretary General E. Bakili Muluzi
Communists: no Communist party; Malawi maintains no foreign relations with Communist governments
Member of: AFDB, EEC (associate member), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
ECONOMY
GDP: $800 million (1980), $133 per capita; current real growth rate 6.5% (1980)
Agriculture: cash crops—tobacco, tea, sugar, peanuts, cotton, tung, maize; subsistence crops—corn, sorghum, millet, pulses, root crops, fruit, vegetables, rice
Electric power: 124,000 kW capacity (1980); 340 million kWh produced (1980), 55 kWh per capita
Major industries: agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods
Exports: $278.4 million (f.o.b., 1980); tobacco, tea, sugar, peanuts, cotton
Imports: $335.3 billion (f.o.b., 1980); manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, building and construction materials, fuel, fertilizer
Major trade partners: exports—UK, FRG, US, Netherlands, South Africa; imports—South Africa, UK, Japan, US, FRG
Aid: economic commitments—Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $683 million; US authorized (FY70-80), $18.2 million
Budget: 1980 revenues $319.3 million, current expenditures $240.5 million, development expenditures $200.5 million
Monetary conversion rate: 1 Malawi kwacha= US$0. 8258
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
