Malawi Map

The Republic of Malawi is an African nation located in southeastern Africa, bordering Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Lake Malawi is situated along the eastern borders Malawi shares with Tanzania and Mozambique. Malawi covers an area of about 118,484 square kilometers (45,747 square miles), which features the Great Rift Valley and the Shire Highlands. The capital and largest city of Malawi is Lilongwe.

Malawi has been inhabited for many years by various people, including the Bantu people who arrived around the tenth century. The Bantu tribes established a kingdom in the region by around 1500 AD. Portuguese traders arrived around 1600, establishing relations in the country. The British began settling and sending missionaries to the region, and declared a protectorate in 1889 to prevent the Portuguese from colonizing there. This region was named Nyasaland under British rule, eventually becoming part of the Central African Federation. In 1964, Nyasaland became Malawi, and declared itself independent from Britain. Malawi is now a democratic government, its current constitution first put into use in 1995.

Malawi has a population of about 15 million people, and rising rapidly. The major ethnic groups of Malawi include the Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, and Ngonde people. English is the official language of Malawi along with Chichewa, which more than half of the population speaks, as well as Chinyanja, Chiyao, and Chitumbuka, and other native languages. About 80 percent of the population identifies as Christian, with a smaller population of Muslims and various other religions.

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Last Updated On : March 13, 2013