世界各国

Malawi

Introduction to Malawi

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 Bakili MULUZI came to power in the 1994 elections and was reelected to office in 1999. His attempts to amend the constitution to allow for a third term have been unsuccessful. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country.

Government

Capital:

Lilongwe 

Independence:

6 July 1964 (from UK) 

National holiday:

Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) 

Economy

Economy overview:

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues in 2001. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. In November 2002 the World Bank approved a $50 million drought recovery package, which is to be used for famine relief. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and to satisfy foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports. 

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $6.845 billion (2004 est.) 

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 51%
industry: 21.8%
services: 27.2% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products:

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats 

Industries:

tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods 

Transportation

Waterways:

700 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (2003)

Ports and harbors:

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba

Airports:

42 (2003 est.)