Malawi - At a Glance

Area: 118,480 sq km
Population: 13.6 million
Adult literacy: male: 76.1% ; female: 49.8%
Per capita: US$160
Languages: Chichewa (official), Chinyanja, Chiyao, Chitumbuka, Chisena, Chilomwe, Chitonga, English
Religion: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3%
Life expectancy: 40.5 years

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu Banda the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa Mutharika was elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term. Malawi's economy is based largely on agriculture, which accounts for more than 90 percent of its export earnings, contributes 45 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and supports 90 percent of the population. Although the government of Malawi has initiated an economic reform agenda, it faces challenges on several fronts: a rapidly growing population, a high HIV/AIDS infection rate (about 15 percent), limited natural resources, high levels of inequality caused by years of an elitist development strategy, and the corrosive effects of recurring droughts, poor resource management, and environmental degradation.