About Malawi

Lake country

About one fifth of Malawi is covered by Lake Malawi, a vast inland sea that functions as a source of livelihood for millions of people. Despite this natural treasure, Malawi is still struggling to improve people’s access to basic necessities and services.

Geography & climate

A narrow strip of land bordered by the third largest lake in Africa, Malawi is a densely populated country that borders Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the north, while Mozambique surrounds it on the east, south, and west.

Malawi is subtropical, with a rainy season from November through April, and a dry season from May to October. In the summer months, the lake area and the south of the country stay warm, but the rest of the country can be cold at night, with temperatures ranging from 5°-14°C.


Nature

Malawi's natural "star" is Lake Malawi, a massive freshwater interior sea that is home to more fish species than any other lake in the world. Of these, 600 species are endemic, meaning they exist nowhere else. The lake is also of major importance to migratory birds, which depend on the lake margins for feeding on their way between Africa and Europe.

Elephants, aardvarks, leopards, Burchell’s zebras and hippos are also found in Malawi.


Population & religion

It is thought that Malawi takes its name from the Maravi, a Bantu group who came from the southern Congo basin around 600 years ago. Malawians are mostly rural people, and belong to several tribes such as the Chewas, who constitute 90% of the population of the central region, the Nyanja in the south and the Tumbuka in the north.

Christianity is the main religion, followed by Islam and other beliefs. About 60% of Malawians speak Chichewa, the country’s national language but English remains Malawi’s official language, the heritage of British colonial times.


Economy & development

Malawi is an agricultural economy, with 90% of the population involved in the sector. The country’s land, some of the most fertile in the region, produces crops such as tobacco, tea, cotton, coffee, and sugar.

Despite the availability of arable land and the natural services provided by Lake Malawi (fisheries, tourism, hydropower), Malawi remains impoverished. In 2004, life expectancy at birth was 40 years and the adult literacy rate was 65% for people over 15 years.