Malawi

 Cheetah status           Country Background

 Geography                  People

 Government                Economy

 Communication          References

Population.  Cheetah were reported as almost extinct from Malawi in 1996 and it appears that the species is now extirpated from this country mainly due to reduced habitat and prey as a result of an increased human population. Historically the cheetah was never widespread in this country due limited areas of suitable habitat and prey. Since 1980 cheetahs were only reported in three national parks along the western border with Zambia, the source of the cheetahs in Malawi. Given changes in Zambia as well as Malawi, it appears that there are no longer corridors for movement of cheetahs into Malawi, and the areas and prey base within the country cannot support viable populations (Purchase & Purchase 2007).

Principal Threats.  Human population growth, loss of habitat and poaching.

Area: total: 118,480 sq km; land: 94,080 sq km; water: 24,400 sq km

Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

Land use: arable land: 20.68%; permanent crops: 1.18%; other: 78.14% (2005)

Natural resources: limestone, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Environment-current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
 

Population: 13,013,926 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.5% (male 3,056,522/female 3,000,493); 15-64 years: 50.8% (male 3,277,573/female 3,332,907); 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 139,953/female 206,478) (2006 est.)

Median age: total: 16.5 years; male: 16.2 years; female: 16.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.38% (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 94.37 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 98.66 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 89.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.7 years; male: 41.93 years; female: 41.45 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.92 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 14.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 84,000 (2003 est.)

Distribution of the human population in Malawi

Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Languages: Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census)

Religions: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and writ; total population: 62.7%; male: 76.1%; female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

Data code: MI

Government type: multiparty democracy

Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Economy-overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 85% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 36% of GDP and 80% of export revenues in 2005. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 53% of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces many challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Since 2005 President MUTHARIKA'S government has exhibited improved financial discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE.

GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35.4%; industry: 17.6%; services: 47% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 4.5 million (2006 est.)

Unemployment: NA

Population below poverty: 53% (2004)

Labor force-by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2003 est.)

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

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

Exports: $513.1 million (f.o.b., 1995)

Exports-commodities: tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

Exports-partners: US 17.8%, South Africa 11.2%, Egypt 7.6%, Germany 6.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, Japan 4.8%, Russia 4.6%, Mozambique 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005)

Imports: $767.9 million (f.o.b., 2006 est.)

Imports-commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Imports-partners: South Africa 36.3%, Zambia 9%, Zimbabwe 7.6%, Mozambique 7%, India 6.7%, Tanzania 4.8% (2005)

Currency: 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 135.96 (2006), 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002)

Telephone system: domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 2 shortwave 2 (2001)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)

Internet country code: .mw

Internet hosts: 377 (2003)

Internet users: 52,500 (2002)

Marker L., Malouf J. and Malouf A. 1999. Appendix 2: The status of the wild cheetah in its range countries. In: 1999 International Cheetah Studbook.

Purchase G. & Purchase D. 2007. Status of cheetah in Malai. Cat News Special Issue 3, 43.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mi.html (last update on 10 January, 2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/country_sites.html#malawi

http://www.fao.org