Malawi¶

Area

Africa

Malawi is a land-locked country in south-eastern Africa. The country's total size is less than 120,000 sq.km and over 20% of that is taken up by the 560 km long Lake Malawi. Evidence of human ancestors dating back over one million years ago have been found in the area and early humans were living there 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. In more recent history, Dr. David Livingstone arrived at Lake Malawi in 1859 and spent the 1860s exploring the area. In 1891, the area was established as the British Central Africa protectorate, and in 1907 it became the Nyasaland protectorate. (Nyasa is the WaYao word for lake.) During the first half of the 20th century, the Malawians made several unsuccessful attempts at independence and in 1953 Nyasaland was unwillingly joined with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. Britain finally agreed to independence in 1962, granting it one year later. The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved in 1963, and a few years later Nyasaland became the independent Republic of Malawi and was declared a one-party state. The leader -- Dr. Banda -- was declared president for life in 1970 and the country was kept under authoritarian control into the 1990s. In 1993, the people of Malawi voted overwhelmingly in favour of a multi-party democracy, and free elections were held the following year. Today, Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and of the people are impoverished. Life expectancy has been dropping and is now estimated at less than 37 years. Child mortality exceeds 10%, and there are more than a million orphans, the majority due to AIDS. 

Malawi on Wikipedia