MALAWI

officially Republic of Malawi, formerly Nyasaland landlocked country in southeastern Africa. Long and narrow in shape, Malawi stretches about 520 miles (837 km) from north to south and varies in width from 5 to 100 miles (8 to 160 km) from east to west. It is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Mozambique to the east and south, and Zambia to the west. The capital is Lilongwe. Area 45,747 square miles (118,484 square km). Pop. (1992 est.), excluding some 950,000 refugees in nearby countries, 9,484,000. officially Republic of Malawi, formerly Nyasaland landlocked country in southeastern Africa. A country of spectacular highlands and extensive lakes, it occupies a narrow, curving strip of land along the East African Rift Valley. Stretching about 520 miles (840 kilometres) from north to south, it has a width varying from 5 to 100 miles and is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Mozambique to the east and south, and Zambia to the west. Its total area of 45,747 square miles (118,484 square kilometres) includes 9,347 square miles of lake surface dominated by the 8,900 square miles of Lake Nyasa (known in Malawi as Lake Malawi). In 1975 the capital was moved from Zomba in the south to Lilongwe in a more central location. Most of Malawi's population engages in cash-crop and subsistence agriculture. The country's exports consist of the produce of both small landholdings and large tea and tobacco estates. Malawi has successfully attracted foreign capital investment, has made great strides in the exploitation of its natural resources, and is one of the few African countries to regularly produce food surpluses. Yet its population suffers from chronic malnutrition, high rates of infant mortality, and grinding povertya paradox often attributed to an agricultural system that favours large estate owners. Additional reading Overviews of the country can be found in Harold D. Nelson et al., Area Handbook for Malawi (1975, reprinted 1987). Swanzie Agnew and Michael Stubbs (eds.), Malawi in Maps (1972); and Malawi Dept. of Surveys, The National Atlas of Malawi (1983?), present the country's physical characteristics and natural and human resources in cartographic form. Margaret Read, The Ngoni of Nyasaland (1956, reissued 1970); and T. Cullen Young, Notes on the History of the Tumbuka-Kamanga Peoples in the Northern Province of Nyasaland, 2nd ed. (1970), are ethnographic studies. Horst Dequin, Agricultural Development in Malawi (1969), is a historical study of the period between 1890 and 1967. Economic conditions and politics are discussed in Carolyn McMaster, Malawi: Foreign Policy and Development (1974); and T. David Williams, Malawi: The Politics of Despair (1978).Works chronicling the country's history are John G. Pike, Malawi: A Political and Economic History (1968); B.R. Rafael, A Short History of Malawi, 3rd ed. (1985); Owen J.M. Kalinga, A History of the Ngonde Kingdom of Malawi (1985); Bridglal Pachai, Malawi: The History of the Nation (1973), and Land and Politics in Malawi, 18751975 (1978); Bridglal Pachai (ed.), The Early History of Malawi (1972); John McCracken, Politics and Christianity in Malawi, 18751940: The Impact of the Livingstonia Mission in the Northern Province (1977); Roderick J. MacDonald (ed.), From Nyasaland to Malawi: Studies in Colonial History (1975); Ian Linden and Jane Linden, Catholics, Peasants, and Chewa Resistance in Nyasaland, 18891939 (1974); George Shepperson and Thomas Price, Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Origins, Setting, and Significance of the Nyasaland Native Rising of 1915 (1958, reissued 1987); and Philip Short, Banda (1974). Zimani David Kadzamira Kings Mbacazwa G. Phiri James Clyde Mitchell Kenneth Ingham The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica Administration and social conditions Government Under the republican constitution of Malawi promulgated in July 1966, the government is composed of a president, who is head of state and government, and the National Assembly. The cabinet is appointed by the president. The original number of 50 elected members of the assembly was raised to 60 in 1969, 87 in 1979, 112 in 1987, and 141 in 1992. In addition, the president can appoint no more than 10 nominated members. The country is divided into 24 administrative districts. The local government system consists of district councils, the city councils of Blantyre and Lilongwe, the municipality of Zomba, and seven town councils. Malawi was a de facto one-party state from August 1961, when the first general elections were held, until 1966, when the constitution formally recognized the Malawi Congress Partyled by President H. Kamuzu Bandaas the sole political organization. According to the constitution, elections for the presidency and the assembly are to be held every five years; general elections, however, have been held only in 1971, 1978, and 1992. The presidential candidate is nominated by an electoral college composed of party officials at the national, regional, and district levels; the League of Malawi Women; the League of Malawi Youth; members of Parliament; recognized chiefs; and all chairmen of district councils. In 1971 Banda was elected president for life. Candidates for the National Assembly may stand for election only after their nomination by the district party conferences. Justice The judiciary is based upon the system prevailing in the British colonial era and Malawi traditional law. It consists of a Supreme Court of Appeal, a High Court, magistrates' courts, and traditional courts. Since 1969, criminal cases involving witchcraft or local superstition, for which the death penalty can be imposed, have been tried in the traditional courts instead of the High Court. The minister of justice has the power to direct a particular case or group of cases to a particular court; cases tried in the traditional courts can be appealed to the National Traditional Court of Appeal. Cultural life Though under the impact of modernization, Malawi's traditional culture is characterized by continuity as well as change, and the traditional life of the village has remained largely intact. One of the most distinctive features of Malawi culture is the enormous variety of traditional songs and dances that use the drum as the major musical instrument. Among the most notable of these dances are ingoma and gule wa mkulu for men and chimtali and visekese for women. There are various traditional arts and crafts, including sculpture in wood and ivory. There are two museumsthe Museum of Malawi in Blantyre and a smaller one in Mangochi. While various cultural activities are organized by the Ministry of Youth and Culture, the University of Malawi Travelling Theatre, and other groups in Blantyre, the radio from Zomba and Lilongwe has proved to be the most effective means of bringing traditional and modern plays to the rural population. Zimani David Kadzamira The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica