The most interesting facts about Malawi, from one of the planet’s largest and deepest lakes to selling the presidential jet to raise funds for the economy.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Malawi
Capital city: Lilongwe
Population: 21,763,309
Area: 118,484 sq km
Major languages: English, Chichewa
Time zone: UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)
Interesting facts about Malawi
1. Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. A landlocked country is surrounded by land and does not have access to the open sea.
2. Human cultural artifacts have been found in Malawi and date back over 50,000 years. However, discovered fossilized remains of Homosapiens only date to between 8000 and 2000 BC.
3. Bantu-speaking tribes settled in Malawi between the 1st and 4th centuries BC and continued to rule the region until the arrival of Europeans.
4. During the 17th century, Portuguese explorers arrived from the east coast of present-day Mozambique. They began slave trading in the area, which then increased dramatically between 1790 and 1860.
5. During the mid-nineteenth century Scottish explorer, missionary and anti-slavery campaigner David Livingstone first travelled through the region, paving the way for further European influence.
6. Founded in 1876, Blantyre is Malawi’s second-largest city and is named after David Livingstone’s Scottish birthplace.
7. In 1891, Malawi was established as part of the British territory of Nyasaland and District Protectorate.
8. In 1964, Nyasaland finally declared complete independence and changed its name to Malawi.
9. For the first 30 years of independence, Malawi was ruled by a one-party regime under autocratic President Hastings Banda. Democratic processes have improved since he relinquished power in the mid-1990s.
10. Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, accounts for more than one-fifth of the country’s total area.
11. Lake Malawi is the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, the ninth-largest lake in the world by area and the third-largest and second-deepest in Africa.
12. Lake Malawi is home to hundreds of fish species, nearly all endemic. Its importance for the study of evolution has been compared to that of the Galapagos Islands.
13. Malawi’s flag is horizontally striped black-red-green. The colours symbolise the African people, the blood of independence martyrs and the green nature of Malawi. The setting sun is featured in the top stripe.
14. Lake Malawi is sometimes referred to as “the calendar lake” due to its dimensions: 365 miles long and 52 miles wide.
15. Malawi means “flaming waters” and refers to the setting sun over Lake Malawi.
16. Popstar Madonna famously adopted four Malawian children. She drew criticism for receiving a special exemption from laws restricting non-residents from taking children abroad and for exaggerating her charity work in the country.
17. In 2013, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda sold the luxury presidential jet for $15 million to raise cash for the struggling economy.
18. President Banda also cut her salary by 30%, pledged to sell off 35 Mercedes Benz cars used by her cabinet and introduced a host of austerity measures to boost Malawi’s economy.
19. Malawi is the fourth poorest country in the world when measured by GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP).
20. The UNESCO-listed Majete Wildlife Reserve achieved public acclaim after it successfully reintroduced wildlife, including lions and cheetahs. With the lions, it became Malawi’s first Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) wildlife park following the decimation of the area’s wildlife population due to decades of poaching.
21. Malawi is one of 73 countries to have never won a medal at the Olympic Games.
22. Malawi is home to the “richest concentration of rock art in Central Africa”. The UNESCO-listed Chongoni Rock-Art Area features 127 sites of rock art from the late Stone Age (between 50,000 and 39,000 years ago).
23. Malawi is known as the “warm heart of Africa” due to the welcoming nature of its people.
24. In 1991, a hominid jawbone was discovered in Malawi that is believed to be up to 2.4 million years old – the oldest evidence of the genus Homo ever discovered.
25. Tobacco historically accounts for nearly 70% of Malawi’s exports. Its second-largest export is tea (9%).
26. Malawi has some of the lowest CO2 emissions globally per capita, with an estimated 0.1 metric tons per person.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about Malawi. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.