1988 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; maritime dispute with Tanzania

none; involved in complex dispute over Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei

Climate

tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northest (October to February) monsoons

Coastline

4,675 km total (2,068 km Peninsular Malaysia, 2,607 km East Malaysia)

Comparative area

about the size of Pennsylvania

slightly larger than New Mexico

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

deforestation

subject to flooding; air and water pollution

Ethnic divisions

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Asian, European

59% Malay and other indigenous, 32% Chinese, 9% Indian

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Infant mortality rate

14/1,000 (1983)

25/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

344,052 wage earners employed in Malawi (1982); 52% agriculture, 16% personal services, 9% manufacturing, 7% construction, 6% commerce, 4% miscellaneous services, 6% other permanently employed

5.95 million (1985); 34.5% agriculture; trade, hotels, and restaurants; 15.6% manufacturing, 14.9% government; 6.6% construction, 5% finance; 4.9% transport and communications; 1.6% mining; 1.2% utilities

Land boundaries

2,881 km total

2,295 km total

Land use

25% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures; 50% forest and woodland; 5% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

3% arable land; 10% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 63% forest and woodland; 24% other; includes 1% irrigated

Language

English and Chichewa (official); Tombuka is second African language

Peninsular Malaysia — Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil; Sabah— English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese; Sarawak — English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages

Life expectancy

47

67.7 male, 72.7 female

Literacy

25%

65.0% overall, age 20 and up; Peninsular Malaysia— 80%; Sabah— 60%; Sarawak— 60%

Nationality

noun — Malawian(s); adjective— Malawian

noun — Malaysian(s); adjective— Malaysian

Organized labor

small minority of wage earners are unionized

620,000, about 10% of total labor force; unemployment about 7.6% of total labor force, but higher in urban areas (1985)

Population

7,437,911 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3. 15%

16,068,516 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.08%, includes Peninsular Malaysia— 13,280,754, average annual growth rate 1.98%; Sabah— 1,281,994, average annual growth rate 3.28%; and Sarawak— 1,505,768, average annual growth rate 1.88%

Religion

55% Protestant, 20% Roman Catholic, 20% Muslim; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced by some members of these groups

Peninsular Malaysia — Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu; Sabah— 38% Muslim, 17% Christian, 45% other; Sarawak — 35% tribal religion, 24% Buddhist and Confucianist, 20% Muslim, 16% Christian, 5% other

Special notes

landlocked

strategic location along Strait of Malacca; occupies southern half of Malay Peninsula and northern quarter of island of Borneo

Terrain

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

118,480 km2; land area: 94,080 km2

329,750 km2; land area: 328,550 km2

Administrative divisions

3 administrative regions and 24 districts

Branches

strong presidential system with Cabinet appointed by President; unicameral National Assembly of 87 elected and up to 15 nominated members; High Court with Chief Justice and at least two justices

Capital

Lilongwe

Communists

no Communist party

Elections

President Banda designated President for Life in 1970; parliamentary elections last held June 1983, next scheduled for 1988 Political parties and leaders: Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Robson Chirwa, administrative secretary

Government leader

Dr. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA, President (since 1966)

Legal system

based on English common law and customary law; constitution adopted 1964; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeals; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

AfDB, Commonwealth, EC (associated member), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Republic Day, 6 July

Official name

Republic of Malawi

Malaysia

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Type

one-party state

Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963, constitutional monarchy nominally headed by Paramount Ruler (King), a bicameral Parliament consisting of a 58-member Senate and a 154-member House of Representatives; Peninsular Malaysian states— hereditary rulers in all

Agriculture

cash crops — tobacco, tea, sugar, peanuts, cotton, tung oil, maize; subsistence crops — corn, sorghum, millet, pulses, root crops, fruit, vegetables, rice; self-sufficient in food production

Aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $1.3 billion; US authorized (FY70-85), $82 million

Budget

revenues, $211.9 million; expenditures, $231.9 million (1983)

Electric power

152,000 kW capacity; 466 million kWh produced, 63 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$271.8 million (c.i.f., 1985); tobacco, tea, sugar, peanuts, cotton, corn

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GDP

$1.11 billion, $160 per capita (1985); real growth rate 3.0% (1982)

Imports

$291.3 billion (c.i.f., 1985); manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, building and construction materials, fuel, fertilizer

Major industries

agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods

Major trade partners

exports — UK, FRG, US, Netherlands, South Africa; imports — South Africa, UK, Japan, US, FRG

Monetary conversion rate

2.00 Malawi kwacha=US$l (November 1986)

Natural resources

limestone, uranium potential

Airfields

50 total, 49 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Malaysia

Branches

Army, Army Air Wing, Army Naval Detachment, paramilitary Police Mobile Unit

Civil air

6 major transport aircraft

Highways

13,135 km total; 2,364 km paved; 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 10,520 km earth and improved earth

Inland waterways

Lake Nyasa, 23,300 km2; Shire River, 144 km, 4 lake ports

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,511,000; 767,000 fit for military service SOOkm

Railroads

789 km 1.067meter gauge

Telecommunications

fair system of open-wire lines, radio-relay links, and radio communication stations; 36,800 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 7 AM, 2 FM, and 15 repeaters; no TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces