Portal:Malawi

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The Malawi Portal

Flag of Malawi

Malawi (/məˈlɑːwi/; lit. 'flames' in Chichewa and Chitumbuka), officially the Republic of Malawi and formerly known as Nyasaland, 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 19,431,566 (as of January 2021). Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu and its fourth-largest is its former capital, Zomba. It was the first capital city of Malawi before being changed to Lilongwe.

The part of Africa now known as Malawi was settled around the 10th century by migrating Bantu groups. Centuries later, in 1891, the area was colonised by the British as the British Central African Protectorate, and it was renamed as Nyasaland in 1907. In 1953, it became a protectorate within the semi-independent Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Federation was dissolved in 1963. In 1964, the protectorate was ended: 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, and Malawi's next few decades of independence were characterized by Banda's highly repressive dictatorship. Following the introduction of a multiparty system in 1993, Banda was defeated in the 1994 general election. Today, Malawi has a democratic, multi-party republic headed by an elected president and has continued to experience peaceful transitions of power. According to the 2024 V-Dem Democracy indices Malawi is ranked 74th electoral democracy worldwide and 11th electoral democracy in Africa. The country's military, the Malawian Defence Force, includes an army, a navy, and an air wing. Malawi's foreign policy is pro-Western. It 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 rapidly growing population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet its development needs, although the amount needed (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000. The Malawian government faces challenges in its efforts to build and expand the economy, to improve education, healthcare, and environmental protection, and to become financially independent despite widespread unemployment. Since 2005, Malawi has developed several policies that focus on addressing these issues, and the country's outlook appears to be improving: 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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Chilembwe in 1914, one year before his death

John Nkologo Chilembwe (June 1871 – 3 February 1915) was a Baptist pastor, educator and revolutionary who trained as a minister in the United States, returning to Nyasaland in 1901. He was an early figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland (Malawi), opposing both the treatment of Africans working in agriculture on European-owned plantations and the colonial government's failure to promote the social and political advancement of Africans. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War, Chilembwe organised an unsuccessful armed uprising against colonial rule. Today, Chilembwe is celebrated as a hero of independence in some African countries, and John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on 15 January in Malawi. (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 1Scientific publications per million inhabitants in SADC countries in 2014 (from Malawi)
Image 2Chongoni Rock Art Area (from Malawi)
Image 3National Assembly building in Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 4Mountains in Northern Malawi during the rainy season (from Malawi)
Image 5Children attending a farmer meeting in Nalifu village, Mulanje (from Malawi)
Image 6Musical instruments of Malawi (from Malawi)
Image 7Malawi's first Prime Minister and later the first President, Hastings Banda (left), with Tanzania's President Julius Nyerere (from Malawi)
Image 8Malawi women with young children attending family planning services (from Malawi)
Image 9GDP in Southern African Development Community countries by economic sector, 2013 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 10Harvesting groundnuts at an agricultural research station in Malawi (from Malawi)
Image 11Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 12Mbawemi Women's group in Malawi learning how to add value to beeswax by making candles (from Malawi)
Image 13Malawi health passport showing 3 languages most used in Malawi, English (red dot), Chewa (blue dot) and Tumbuka (green dot). (from Malawi)
Image 14Public expenditure on education in Southern Africa as a share of GDP, 2012 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 15Researchers (HC) in Southern Africa per million inhabitants, 2013 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 16Locations of Malawian diplomatic embassies or high commissions (from Malawi)
Image 171897 British Central Africa stamp issued by the United Kingdom (from Malawi)
Image 18Scientific research output in terms of publications in Southern Africa, cumulative totals by field, 2008–2014 (from Malawi)
Image 19Scientific publication trends in the most productive SADC countries, 2005–2014 (from Malawi)
Image 20Crafts market in Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 21Malawian female soldier (from Malawi)
Image 22Domestic expenditure on research in Southern Africa as a percentage of GDP, 2012 or closest year (from Malawi)
Image 23Elephant in Majete Wildlife Reserve (from Malawi)
Image 24The M1 road between Blantyre and Lilongwe (from Malawi)
Image 25Mission Church in Livingstonia (from Malawi)
Image 26Lake Malawi (from Malawi)

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In the news

Wikinews Malawi portal

11 June 2024 – 2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash: The wreckage of an aircraft which went missing yesterday in Malawi amid bad weather is found. All ten people on board, including the country's Vice-President Saulos Chilima, are confirmed dead. (Reuters)
10 June 2024 – 2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash: An aircraft carrying Malawian Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others is reported missing while flying from Lilongwe to Mzuzu. (BBC News)