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Country Guide > Africa > Malawi | |
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General Information Area 118,484 sq km (45,747 sq miles).
Population 11,871,000 (UN estimate 2002). Population density 100.2 per sq km. Capital Lilongwe. Population: 440,471 including suburbs (1998). Blantyre, with a population of 502,053 (1998), is the largest city in the country. Geography Malawi shares borders to the north and northeast with Tanzania, to the south, east and southwest with Mozambique and to the west with Zambia. Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, is the dominant feature of the country, forming the eastern boundary with Tanzania and Mozambique. The scenery varies in the country’s three regions. The Northern Region is mountainous, with the highest peaks reaching over 2500m (8200ft), and features the rolling Nyika Plateau, rugged escarpments, valleys and the thickly forested slopes of the Viphya Plateau. The Central Region is mainly a plateau, over 1000m (3300ft) high, with fine upland scenery. This is the country’s main agricultural area. The Southern Region is mostly low-lying except for the 2100m- (6890ft-) high Zomba Plateau south of Lake Malawi and the huge, isolated Mulanje Massif (3000m/10,000ft) in the southeast. The variety of landscape and the wildlife it supports make this relatively unspoilt country particularly attractive to visitors. Government Republic since 1966. Gained independence from the UK in 1964. Head of State and Government: President Bingu Wa Mutharika since 2004. Language The national language is the widely spoken Chichewa but the official language, and that of the business community, is English. Religion 80 per cent are Christian, 13 per cent Muslim, 7 per cent follow traditional beliefs and there is a small Hindu minority. Time GMT + 2. Electricity 230 volts AC, 50Hz. The standard plug is square three-pin. Communications Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 265 (no area codes). Outgoing international code: 101. The digits 01 were added to the beginning of each land telephone number in 2002; the zero should be omitted when calling from outside Malawi. The number of landlines has doubled in the past three years. Mobile telephone GSM 900 network. Mobile telephone numbers begin (0)8 or (0)9. Network providers include CelTel Limited (website: www.msi-cellular.com) and Callpoint 900. Roaming agreements currently exist with Vodafone. Fax There are facilities for travellers in the main towns, including those in hotel business centres. Internet ISPs include MalawiNet (website: www.malawi.net). Services are available in business centres in hotels, and there are a few Internet cafes. Telegram Public facilities for sending telegrams exist at the main post offices. Post Letters take about seven to 10 days to reach Europe by airmail. Post office hours: generally Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1300-1700. Post offices in some of the larger towns may be open Sun 0900-1000, but only to sell stamps or to accept telegrams. Press There are two main daily English-language newspapers, The Daily Times (Mon-Fri) and The Monitor. The Malawi News and The Nation are published weekly, and a number of other newspapers are published periodically, including the news magazine, Malawi First. Radio BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. |
