The Land
The People
Departure Tax
Currency
Language
Time
Tit Bit Facts on Malawi
Websites on Malawi
Map of Malawi

Now is the time to answer Malawi's enticing call to take a rewarding holiday that will provide you with memories for a lifetime.

Wherever you travel you'll be welcomed with smiles and warm greetings that will make you neve want to leave.

Achieving independence in 1964, the cournty's development was in the hands of Dr Hastings Banda for three decades. His polices never truly embraced the notion that tourism could be a vibrant and valuable sector of the country's economy.

Since its emergence in 1994, as multi-party democracy, Malawi, the warm heart of Africa has begn to out from the shadows and is taking its fight fuls place as one Africa's most attractive holiday destinations.

The Land:

Malawi is a landlocked country in the southern hemisphere. Its position is variously described as southern, central or eastern Africa. Malawi lies between latitudes 9o and 17o south and longitudes 32o and 36o east bordered by three countries, Tanzania to the north and east, Zambia to the west and Mozambique to the east, south and west.

An area of some 118,000 square kilometres on fifth is Lake Malawi - makes Malawi on of the smallest counties in the region. Malawi, is a similar size to Cuba and half the size of United Kingdom. At approximately 900km, long and varying widths neve more than one third of the length, the country is clearly elongated north-south alog the line of the Rift Valley in which lies Lake Malawi.

The People:

Malawi has a population of approximately 13million people, with an annual growth rate of 2%. The average population density is one of the highest in Africa, at 105 per square km. The greatest part of the population (85%), remains rural, living largely in traditional villages of simple huts. It is a very basic existence. Most people gain their water from wells or boreholes nearly all use firewood as their main source of energy.

Economically, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. There is an over-dependence on agriculture and even in this dominant sector, much is at a subsistence level. Of the commercial activity tobacco, dominate, accounting for О of export earnings.

This dependence on agriculture and particularly tobacco is a weakness ehihc the Government aims to correct. Adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in a single commodity market, have major effects on the people and the economy.

Since the missionaries were the first Europeans to arrive in Malawi, it's not surprising that eighty per cent of the population is now Christian. The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian is the strongest in the country. Muslims account for 13% laving only a small minority sticking to the indigenous beliefs.

Departure Tax:

There is a compulsory Departure Tax of US$30.00 cash which needs be to be paid when leaving Malawi. You will need to have the sorted out before arriving at the airport.

Currency

The Malawian currency is the kwacha, (abbreviated to MK internationally, K or Kw locally, which is divided into 100 tambala (t).
Kwacha means - Dawn
Tambala means - Cockerel
Notes are available in K200, K100, K50, K20 K10 and K5.

PLEASE USE www.xe.com for conversion

From the Spectrum Guide to Malawi
Authors: John Douglas and Kelly White

Language

The national language is Chewa or Chichewa. However English is the official language and is widely used.

Time

Malawi time is Greenwich Mean Time plus two hours, the same time as South Africa.

Population:
UN (2005), 165/177 poorest counties in the world
Approximately 13 million
An average of 105 people per km2
85% of population live in rural areas
English and Chichewa are the most popular languages spoken
Malawi is 900km in length and 300km in width
Н the size of UK
Highest point is 3,000m above sea-level

6 of 1,000 women die at childbirth
Women can have up to 12-14 children, starting from the age of 14
Average life expectancy is 38-40 years of age
1/3 families do not have access to drinking water

AIDS and Health
140/1,000 adults are infected with AIDS/HIV, in some areas this can increase to 250/1000
7/10 deaths are caused by AIDS
15% of the population has HIV
Approximately 10% of the population is orphaned,
Italy is the country with the fewest patients for ache doctor, 169 per doctor.
Malawi is the country with the most patients for each doctor, 49,118 per doctor.

Religion:
40% Catholics
40% various Christian denominations
13% Muslim

Lake Malawi
11th largest fresh water lake in the world
3rd largest fresh water lake in Africa
Home to the Cichlid family (fish)
585km in length
90km in width
700 m in depth

Schooling:
Average school size is up 1,000 students
Six out of 10 women and three out of ten men over 15, can neither read nor write.
Only one out of twenty children continues his or her education after finishing the eight years of basic school

Websites on Malawi:

Malawi Guide:
www.guide2malawi.com

Malawi Tourism
www.malawitourism.com

Malawi Nation Newspaper
www.nationmalawi.com

Smartraveller
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Malawi

Map of Malawi: