problems for Malawi.

Geography
Malawi

Location:

Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Geographic coordinates:

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

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

Terrain:

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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary
with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m

Natural resources:

limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium,
coal, and bauxite

Land use:

arable land: 20.68%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 78.14% (2005)

Irrigated land:

560 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

17.3 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (15%/5%/80%)
per capita: 78 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most
prominent physical feature

People
Malawi

Population:

13,931,831
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46% (male 3,208,112/female 3,194,600)
15-64 years: 51.4% (male 3,592,073/female 3,563,840)
65 years and over: 2