Malawi << mah LAH wee >> is a small scenic country in southeastern Africa. It is about 520 miles (837 kilometers) long and from 50 to 100 miles (80 to 160 kilometers) wide. Malawi lies on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, called Lake Malawi in that country. See Lake Nyasa.
Ancient volcanic activity left Malawi with rich soil. But only about two-fifths of the land is suitable for agriculture because mountains, forests, and rough pastures cover most of the country.
The country takes its name from the Malawi, or Maravi, kingdom, which was established by local people during the 1500’s. Once the British protectorate of Nyasaland, Malawi became an independent country in 1964. Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi, and Blantyre is the commercial center and largest city.
Government.
Malawi is a republic, with a president as its head of state and chief executive. The president appoints a Cabinet to help govern the country. Under the Constitution, the people elect the president to a five-year term, but the president may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The people elect the 193 members of the National Assembly, which is Malawi’s Parliament, to five-year terms.
People.
Most of Malawi’s people are Black Africans. The country also has some Europeans, Asians, and people of mixed origin. Most Malawians live in small villages. Houses in most villages are round and have mud walls and thatched roofs. The largest ethnic groups in Malawai are the Chewa (Cewa), Lomwe, Ngoni (Angoni), Nyanja, Sena, Tonga, Tumbuka, and Yao. See Life expectancy (table: Life expectancy at birth for selected countries).
Most Malawians are farmers, and most of them raise only enough food for their families. Their main crop, corn, is pounded into flour to make a thick porridge called nsima. Many Malawians, primarily men, work on estates where tea or tobacco is grown. Traditionally, women have raised food crops and men raised crops for sale, but this situation is changing.
Some ethnic groups in Malawi determine family descent through the mother, and new households are established near their mother or relatives of the mother. However, other ethnic groups in Malawi trace descent through the father, as in most Western cultures.
English and Chichewa are Malawi’s official languages. Chichewa is the most widely spoken language of central and southern Malawi, but ChiYao are also spoken in those areas. ChiTumbuka and ChiTonga are the main languages spoken in northern Malawi.
About 80 percent of Malawi’s people are Christians, and about 15 percent are Muslims—that is, followers of Islam. Many of the people practice traditional religions. The country also has a number of Hindus.
Most of Malawi’s school-age children attend primary school, and an increasing number now go on to secondary school. The University of Malawi is in Zomba. It has branch colleges or institutes in other cities.
Land.
Malawi is a land of great scenic beauty. Grassland and savanna (areas of coarse grass and trees) cover much of the land. The Great Rift Valley runs the length of Malawi from north to south. Lake Nyasa fills most of the valley. It is 1,550 feet (472 meters) above sea level. The Shire River flows out of the lake’s southern end to the Zambezi River. West of the lake, the land rises steeply to a plateau about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. Malawi’s highest mountain, Sapitwa (9,843 feet, or 3,000 meters), rises on a plateau southeast of the Shire River.
The lowlands in the Shire Valley and along the lake have a hot, humid, tropical climate. The temperature in this area averages from 74 to 78 °F (23 to 26 °C). The plateaus are much cooler. They average about 58 °F (14 °C) in higher areas and about 65 °F (18 °C) in lower areas. The northern parts of the country average about 70 inches (180 centimeters) of rainfall a year. The southwestern parts average only 30 inches (76 centimeters) a year.
Economy.
Malawi is a poor country. Many of the country’s people live in poverty. Malawi is highly dependent on foreign assistance.
Agriculture is the country’s most important economic sector. Most of the country’s workers are farmers. However, only about two-fifths of the land is suitable for farming. The country’s important crops include cassava, corn, cotton, plantains, sorghum, sugar cane, tea, and tobacco. Farmers raise cattle, chickens, goats, and hogs.
Fishing on Lake Nyasa is an important industry and source of food. Malawi also has valuable hardwood forests. The country’s few manufacturing industries produce cement, processed foods, and other products. Much manufacturing occurs in the Blantyre area. The country mines coal, gemstones, limestone, and uranium.
Malawi imports more than it exports. The country imports fertilizer, machinery, motor vehicles, and petroleum products. Tobacco is Malawi’s leading export. The country also exports clothing, cotton, sugar, and tea. Malawi’s leading trade partners include India, Mozambique, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Malawi’s main roads run the length of the country. Malawi has roads linking it with Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. A railroad in the Shire Valley connects Malawi with the Mozambique port of Beira on the Indian Ocean. Blantyre and Lilongwe have international airports.
History.
Bantu-speaking people began living in Malawi about 2,000 years ago. They formed kingdoms as well as smaller political groups. In the 1830’s, two other Bantu groups, the Ngoni and Yao, invaded the area. The Yao were slave traders who sold enslaved people to the Arabs along the eastern coast of Africa.
The British missionary David Livingstone reached the area in 1859. He found it torn by local wars, and saw the suffering the slave traders caused. Livingstone called for “Christianity, commerce, and civilization” to bring peace to the area (see Stanley and Livingstone). In 1875, the Free Church of Scotland set up a mission that later became an important religious center. Scottish businessmen formed the African Lakes Corporation three years later to introduce lawful business instead of the slave trade. In 1889, the British made treaties with the local chiefs on the western shore of Lake Nyasa. Two years later, Britain proclaimed the territory as the Protectorate of Nyasaland.
In 1953, the British made the protectorate part of a federation with Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Africans living there opposed the creation of the federation, and protested strongly against it. In 1958, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, a physician educated in the United States, became the leader of an independence movement in the protectorate. In July 1964, the protectorate gained independence as the nation of Malawi.
In 1966, Malawi adopted a one-party system of government. The Malawi Congress Party became the only political party, and Banda was declared president. A constitutional amendment was passed in 1970 to make Banda president for life. He assumed that title in 1971. In 1993, following widespread protests against Banda’s government, the amendment was repealed, and Malawi’s people voted for a multiparty system. In 1994, Bakili Muluzi, leader of the United Democratic Front Party, became president after he defeated Banda in a multiparty election. In 1995, Malawi adopted a new constitution. Muluzi was reelected president in 1999.
In the early 2000’s, drought and floods led to widespread food shortages in Malawi. In 2004, Bingu wa Mutharika of the United Democratic Front was elected president. He was reelected in 2009. Mutharika died in 2012. Vice President Joyce Banda succeeded him, becoming Malawi’s first woman president. She served until 2014, when former President Mutharika’s brother, Arthur Peter Mutharika, was elected president.
Peter Mutharika, who is known by his middle name, was reelected in 2019. However, two other candidates claimed the election was marred by irregularities, and protests broke out throughout the country in their support. In May 2020, the Supreme Court declared the election results invalid and ordered a new general election to be held. The ruling marked only the second time that a court in Africa had overturned a presidential election result. The first occurrence was in Kenya in 2017. Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was elected president in June 2020.
In early 2023, Malawi was hit by Cyclone Freddy, one of the most powerful and long-lasting tropical cyclones in history. The storm killed over 1,000 people in Malawi and damaged many buildings and other important structures there.
See also Banda, Hastings K.; Lilongwe.
