About Malawi

Things you might not know about Malawi……

Malawi is a landlocked country and it isn’t very well known. You don’t hear much about it on the news, but it is there!  It is bordered by Tanzania, Zambia Mozambique (click here to go to the Maps link)

The current estimate of population for Malawi is 13,013,926. The land size of Malawi is 94,080sq km. For the Aussies reading this, if squashed into a different shape, Malawi is a similar size to that of Tasmania. Can you imagine 13,013,926 people living in an area the size of Tassie?! Australia’s total current population is 20,090,437, and according to Australia Bureau of Statistics as at December 2005, Victoria’s population alone is 5,052,400. For the Americans/Canadians reading this, the CIA World Factbook website states that Malawi is slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania.

Lake Malawi, which is the 3rd largest lake in Africa (and the 9th largest lake in the world), runs approximately 2/3rds of the length of the country. It is 560km, 80km wide and 700m deep and forms most of the eastern border between Malawi and Mozambique.

Here is some more info about Malawi you might like to know…….

  • Average age: For males it is 16.2 years and for females it is 16.8 years
  • Average income: In the rural areas of Malawi (where Robyn is living and where the majority of Malawians would live), the average income would be approx. AUS$7 per week which converts to approx US$6 per week.  But the majority of people (about 80%) do not have employment in these rural areas, and live the most simple existence in very basic housing, working the land or fishing if fortunate enough to be near the lake.
  • Seasons: Sub-tropical with a rainy season (approx. November to April) & a dry season (approx May to October)
  • Language: The national Language is ChiChewa with English being the second most spoken language. Many other dialects are used throughout different regions of Malawi, with ChiTonga being the dominant one in the area Robyn is living.
  • Illnesses: HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, cholera, TB, schistosomiasis (water contact disease). People, babies & children in particular, very regularly die from common illnesses such as diarrhea.
  • Capital city: Lilongwe
  • Religion: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census)
  • Main exports: Tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

If you would like to know anything else about Malawi, or if there is any information you think might be worth including in this category, please contact us and we will attempt to find out the answer and include it on our website.