Malawi: Map & History

History

Before the arrival of the Bantu peoples from the North around the 10th century CE, the part of Africa now known as Malawi had a small population of hunter-gatherers, known in contemporary Malawi oral tradition as Akafula, BaTwa, Akaombe, or Mwandionerakuti. The BaTwa were gradually overtaken by the agrarian Bantu peoples.

Although most of the Bantu peoples continued south, some remained and founded ethnic groups based on common ancestry. By the 16th century, the tribes had established several kingdoms such as the Maravi Empire that reached from north of what became Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River and from Lake Malawi to the Luangwa River in what became Zambia and the Nkhamanga.

Government and politics

Malawi is a unitary presidential republic under the leadership of President Peter Mutharika since 2025. The current constitution was put into place on 18 May 1995. The branches of the government consist of executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive includes a president who is both head of state and head of government, first and second vice presidents, and the Cabinet of Malawi. The president and vice president are elected together every five years. A second vice president may be appointed by the president if so chosen, although they must be from a different party. The president appoints the members of the Cabinet, and they can be from inside or outside of the legislature.

Military

Malawi maintains a small standing military of approximately 25,000. It consists of army, navy and air force elements. The Malawi Army originated from British colonial units formed before independence. It is made of two rifle regiments and one parachute regiment. The Malawi Air Force was established with German help in 1976, and operates a small number of transport aircraft and multi-purpose helicopters. The Malawian Navy was established in the early 1970s with Portuguese support, presently having three vessels operating on Lake Malawi, based in Monkey Bay. In 2017, Malawi signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Economy

Malawi is among the world's least developed countries. Around 85% of the population lives in rural areas. The economy is based on agriculture, and more than one-third of GDP and 90% of export revenues come from this. In the past, the economy has been dependent on substantial economic aid from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other countries. Malawi was ranked the 119th safest investment destination in the world in the March 2011 Euromoney Country Risk rankings. The government faces challenges in developing a market economy, improving environmental protection, dealing with the rapidly growing HIV/AIDS problem, improving the education system, and satisfying its foreign donors to become financially independent.