nt: Sapitwa 3,002 m

Natural resources: limestone, unexploited deposits of uranium,
coal, and bauxite

Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 23% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: deforestation; land degradation;
water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes;
siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography--note: landlocked

People

Population: 10,000,416 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 2,265,526; female 2,246,135)
15-64 years: 52% (male 2,580,125; female 2,637,464)
65 years and over: 3% (male 112,813; female 158,353) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.57% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 39.54 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 23.84 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 132.14 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 36.3 years
male: 36.49 years
female: 36.11 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian

Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga,
Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%,
traditional indigenous beliefs

Languages: English (official), Chichewa (official), other
languages important regionally

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.4%
male: 71.9%
female: 41.8% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi
former: Nyasaland

Data code: MI

Government type: multiparty democracy

Capital: Lilongwe

Administrativ