Malawi is one of the world’s least developed countries, and yet is also one of the worlds’ most densely populated areas.

Severe drought, population growth, pressure on agricultural lands, corruption and spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi. Malawi has serious environmental issues such as deforestation, land degradation and the water is at serious risk of pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage and industrial waste. The economy is predominately agricultural based and 85% of the population of Malawi live in rural areas.

Formally known as Nyasaland, the country is a result of colonial activity in Africa. Bantu-speaking tribes invaded the region that was previously inhabited by the Twa and Fulani tribes. These Bantu tribes united several smaller political states that stretched across modern day Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. The pioneering activities and missionaries of David Livingstone brought Malawi under British rule from the mid to late 19th Century. At the time of the arrival of Livingstone, the country was facing an influx of migrants such as the Yao from the East, Arab traders from the East African Coast and the Ngoni from the South. There was political change from the mid-1940s in the form of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda and the Nyasaland African Party. Banda, as president achieved independence for Malawi in 1964. However, after being voted President for life in 1971, Bandu led 30 years of autocratic, dictatorial and often cruel rule that ended in 1994. Now Malawi is a multi-party democracy and has just voted in President Mutharika from the Democratic Progressive Party.

Malawi is a long, narrow country situated in the African Rift, bordered by Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. The highest point across the country is the peak of Mount Mulanje, 3000 meters above sea level. Lake Malawi takes up a fifth of the country and is the third largest lake in Africa, the ninth largest in the world. The natural vegetation of the land is a rich mix of rain forest, savannah and miombo woodland. The climate of Malawi is sub-tropical, this means it is strongly seasonal with the warm wet season stretching from November to April, the cool dry season falling between May through to August and the hot, dry season encompassing September to October.

Malawi has a population of 13.1 million people based on a 2008 national census survey. The majority belong to tribal groups such as Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Ngoni, Tonga, Sena, Ngonde and Lambya. Christianity is the most practiced religion closely followed by Islam. Chichewa is the most commonly spoken language by the people of Malawi, however English is the official language of Malawi. The life expectancy for both men and women in Malawi is just 48 years.