# The World Factbook (1982)/Malawi
## MALAWIMALAWI

* (See reference map VII)

### LANDLAND

95,053 km$^2$; 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

### PEOPLEPEOPLE

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

### GOVERNMENTGOVERNMENT

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

### ECONOMYECONOMY

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

### COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 754 km 1.067-meter gauge
Highways: 11,311 km total; 2,361 km paved; 381 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 8,569 km improved earth
Inland waterways: Lake Malawi, 1,290 km and Shire River, 144 km, 3 lake ports
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Airfields: 50 total, 47 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; 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 radiocommunications stations; 28,800 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 8 AM, 4 FM, and no TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean satellite station

### DEFENSE FORCESDEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,348,000; about 683,000 fit for military service