General Information
Official name: The Republic of Malawi
Capital: Liongwe
Extent: 118 480 square kilometres
Population number: 11 906 855
Official language: English, Chewa
State organization: Republic
Main religion: Protestants (34%), Roman Catholics (27%, Animists (16%,
Moslems (16%)
Highest mountain point: Sapitwa Mountain (3001 metres above sea level)
Geography
Malawi is an inland state, placed in south part of Africa, neighbouring with Zambia, Tanzania, and Mosambique. The surface takes 120 000 square kilometres. The lenght makes 900 kms, and width moves between 80 and 150 kms. Remarkable part of east part of the country is washed out with Malawi Lake, the third greatest one in Africa. The lake takes approx one fifth from total state extention. As far as the highest Malawi point is concerned, it is Mt.Mulanje, reaching the altitude of 3001 metres above sea level.
Nature
Malawi has five national parks: Nyika, Kasungu, Lake Malawi, Marine National Park, Liwonde and Lengwe. Here, you can always meet elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, antelopes, crocodiles, zebras, buffalos and other, for Europeans exotic animals. Moreover, you can find nearly seventy forest reservations, regarding most known: it is a territory on slopes of Mulanje Mountain Range. Except of big number of various sorts of birds, there are to be met, thanks to Malawi Lake, many sorts of fish - its number is estimated to 500 sorts, and more than 300 sorts are endemic ones.
Climate
In Malawi, there are changing dry and rainy periods. So, the rainy period appears since middle October or beginning November till middle or and of April. Dry periods dominate since May till October or November. Average daily temperatures in plains reach its maximum in January, concretely 26°C, despite the fact that in Shire Valley you can experience in dry time period a temperature reaching 38°C. In higher situated regions, the average temperatures move in July between 10-15° C, and in Sedptember they reach up to 20° C.
Population
The country is inhabitated with 12 millions of people. 15% from them are living in towns, but most of them live in the country,in villages. Regarding main ethnical groups: these are Chewa, Yao, Tumbuka, Angoni, Chipoka, Lambya, Ngonde and Tonga, whereas each ethnical group has their own language and customs. Most of people from Asia and Europe (they form a minority there) live in bigger towns.
Important Information:
Information and warnings on travelling abroad is to be found HERE.