Portal:Malawi

The Malawi Portal

Flag of Malawi

Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km² (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 21,240,689 (as of 2024). Lilongwe is its capital and largest city, while the next three largest cities are Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba, the former capital.

The part of Africa now known as Malawi was settled around the 10th century by the Akafula, also known as the Abathwa. Later, the Bantu groups came and drove out the Akafula and formed various kingdoms such as the Maravi and Nkhamanga kingdoms, among others that flourished from the 16th century. In 1891, the area was colonised by the British as the British Central African Protectorate, and it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. In 1964, Nyasaland became an independent country as a Commonwealth realm under Prime Minister Hastings Banda, and was renamed Malawi. Two years later, Banda became president by converting the country into a one-party presidential republic. Banda was declared President for life in 1971. Independence was characterized by Banda's highly repressive dictatorship. After the introduction of a multiparty system in 1993, Banda lost the 1994 general election. Today, Malawi has a democratic, multi-party republic headed by an elected president. According to the 2024 V-Dem Democracy indices, Malawi is ranked 74th electoral democracy worldwide and 11th electoral democracy in Africa. The country maintains positive diplomatic relations with most countries, and participates in several international organisations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the African Union (AU).

Malawi is one of the world's least-developed countries. The economy is heavily based on agriculture, and it has a largely rural and growing population. Key indicators of progress in the economy, education, and healthcare were seen in 2007 and 2008.

Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality. HIV/AIDS is highly prevalent, which both reduces the labour force and requires increased government expenditures. The country has a diverse population that includes native peoples, Asians, and Europeans. Several languages are spoken, and there is an array of religious beliefs. Although in the past there was a periodic regional conflict fuelled in part by ethnic divisions, by 2008 this internal conflict had considerably diminished, and the idea of identifying with one's Malawian nationality had reemerged. (Full article...)

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The Shire near Nsanje, Malawi

The Shire /ˈʃiːreɪ/ is the largest river in Malawi. It is the only outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Its length is 402 kilometres (250 mi). The upper Shire River issues from Lake Malawi and runs approximately 19 km (12 mi) before it enters shallow Lake Malombe. It then drains Lake Malombe and flows south through Liwonde National Park where large concentrations of hippopotamus are common along its shores. Between the towns of Matope and Chikwawa, the middle river drops approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) through a series of falls and gorges, including Kapachira Falls. Two hydroelectric dams have been built along the Shire northwest of Blantyre.

Beyond Chikwawa, the lower river turns southeast and enters the low-lying Mozambique plain. Its largest and one of its few perennial tributaries, the Ruo River, joins the Shire near the Malawian town of Chiromo. The muddy waters pass through a large stagnant area known as the Elephant Marsh before reaching the confluence with the Zambezi River south of the town of Sena, Mozambique. (Full article...)

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... that Monkey Bay (pictured) on Lake Malawi is a tourist resort accessed through the road to Cape Maclear?

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The following are images from various Malawi-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Harvesting groundnuts at an agricultural research station in Malawi (from Malawi)
Image 2Domestic expenditure on research in Southern Africa as a percentage of GDP, 2012 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 31897 British Central Africa stamp issued by the United Kingdom (from Malawi)
Image 4Children attending a farmer meeting in Nalifu village, Mulanje (from Malawi)
Image 5Mbawemi Women's group in Malawi learning how to make beeswax into candles (from Malawi)
Image 6Locations of Malawian diplomatic embassies or high commissions as of 2012^[update] (from Malawi)
Image 7Mountains in Northern Malawi during the rainy season (from Malawi)
Image 8Public expenditure on education in Southern Africa as a share of GDP, 2012 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 9Scientific research output in terms of publications in Southern Africa, cumulative totals by field, 2008–2014 (from Malawi)
Image 10Malawian female soldier (from Malawi)
Image 11Crafts market in Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 12National Assembly building in Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 13Scientific publication trends in the most productive SADC countries, 2005–2014 (from Malawi)
Image 14GDP in Southern African Development Community countries by economic sector, 2013 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 15Elephant in Majete Wildlife Reserve (from Malawi)
Image 16The M1 road between Blantyre and Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 17Malawi health passport showing 3 major languages most used in Malawi: English (red dot), Chewa (blue dot), and Tumbuka (green dot). (from Malawi)
Image 18Malawi's first Prime Minister and later the first President, Hastings Banda (left), with Tanzania's President Julius Nyerere (right) (from Malawi)
Image 19Musical instruments of Malawi (from Malawi)
Image 20Mission Church in Livingstonia (from Malawi)
Image 21Chongoni Rock Art Area (from Malawi)
Image 22Researchers (HC) in Southern Africa per million inhabitants, 2013 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 23Lake Malawi (from Malawi)
Image 24Scientific publications per million inhabitants in SADC countries in 2014 (from Malawi)