Fast Facts
Population: 12,341,000
Capital: Lilongwe; 587,000
Area: 118,484 square kilometers (45,747 square miles)
Language: English, Chichewa
Religion: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim
Currency: Malawian kwacha
Life Expectancy: 39
GDP per Capita: U.S. $600
Literacy Percent: 63
Malawi lies landlocked in southeast Africa, with Lake Malawi taking up about a fifth of the landscape. Independent from Britain since 1964, it endured the one-party rule of President for Life Hastings Kamuzu Banda for more than 25 years. Democratic elections in 1994 ushered in new leadership of this country, nearly self-sufficient in food.
Economy
Industry: Tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products
Agriculture: Tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea; groundnuts; cattle
Exports: Tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee