Malawi (2003) | Dominica (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | 27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba | 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 2,748,058; female 2,698,052)
15-64 years: 50.5% (male 2,911,892; female 2,973,723) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 128,722; female 190,792) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 25.6% (male 9,481/female 9,048)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 23,822/female 22,656) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 3,165/female 4,214) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats | bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited |
Airports | 43 (2002) | 2 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 22 (2002) |
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Area | total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km |
total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution, which took full effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held again in 1999. | Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. |
Birth rate | 44.7 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 15.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $490 million
expenditures: $523 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 99/00 est.) |
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million (2001) |
Capital | Lilongwe | name: Roseau
geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 148 km |
Constitution | 18 May 1994 | 3 November 1978 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica |
Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | - |
Death rate | 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 8.44 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.9 billion (2002) | $213 million (2004) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen BROWN
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471 |
the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Tony Steven KANDIERO
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0976 |
chief of mission: vacant
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant | Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea |
Economic aid - recipient | $540 million (1999) | $15.17 million (2005 est.) |
Economy - overview | Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues in 2001. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. In November 2002 the World Bank approved a $50 million drought recovery package, which is to be used for famine relief. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and to satisfy foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports. | The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic and financial crisis of 2001-02 and to meet IMF targets. This restructuring paved the way for the current economic recovery - real growth for 2006 reached a two-decade high - and will help to reduce the debt burden, which remains at about 100% of GDP. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island. |
Electricity - consumption | 715.3 million kWh (2001) | 74.4 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 769.2 million kWh (2001) | 80 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 3.3%
hydro: 96.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European | black 86.8%, mixed 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%, other 0.7% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 76.69 (2002), 72.2 (2001), 59.54 (2000), 44.09 (1999), 31.07 (1998) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Bakili MULUZI reelected president; percent of vote - Bakili MULUZI (UDF) 51.4%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MCP-AFORD) 44.3% |
chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
Exports | NA (2001) | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel | bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges |
Exports - partners | US 17.3%, Germany 13.6%, South Africa 10.2%, Egypt 6.2%, Japan 6%, Netherlands 5.5%, Russia 4.8%, UK 4.3% (2002) | UK 24.8%, Jamaica 12.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 9.8%, Guyana 8.3%, China 7.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.4%, Saint Lucia 4.5% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band | green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $6.811 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 37%
industry: 16% services: 47% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 32.8% services: 49.5% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $600 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.7% (2002 est.) | 3.2% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 30 S, 34 00 E | 15 25 N, 61 20 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature | known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world |
Government - note | the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature | - |
Highways | total: 28,400 km
paved: 5,254 km unpaved: 23,146 km (1999 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering |
Imports | NA (2001) | 771.8 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment | manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals |
Imports - partners | South Africa 44.4%, Zambia 12.7%, US 5.6%, India 4.2% (2002) | US 25.3%, China 22.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.8%, South Korea 4.8% (2006) |
Independence | 6 July 1964 (from UK) | 3 November 1978 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.8% (2002 est.) | -10% (1997 est.) |
Industries | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods | soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes |
Infant mortality rate | total: 105.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 109.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 100.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 14.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 27.4% (2001 est.) | -0.1% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2002) | - |
Irrigated land | 280 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) |
Labor force | 4.5 million (2001 est.) | 25,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 86% (1997 est.) | agriculture: 40%
industry: 32% services: 28% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33% other: 78.74% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 6.67%
permanent crops: 21.33% other: 72% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally | English (official), French patois |
Legal system | based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - UDF 48%, MCP 34%, AFORD 15%, others 3%; seats by party - UDF 96, MCP 61, AFORD 30, others 6 |
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats; 9 members appointed, 21 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.1%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.2%, other 1.1%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 37.98 years
male: 37.57 years female: 38.39 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 75.1 years
male: 72.17 years female: 78.18 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, east of Zambia | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,435 GRT/1,252,537 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 30, chemical tanker 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 50 (Estonia 8, Greece 8, India 2, Latvia 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 1, NZ 3, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 8, Syria 2, Turkey 9, Ukraine 3) (2007) |
Military branches | Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit) | no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes coast guard) (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $13.01 million (FY02) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.7% (FY02) | NA (2006) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 2,625,495 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,347,248 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) | Independence Day, 3 November (1978) |
Nationality | noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian |
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
Natural hazards | NA | flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months |
Natural resources | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite | timber, hydropower, arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | -5.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO, president; Gwanda CHAKUAMBA, vice president]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party | Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | National Democratic Alliance [Brown MPINGANJIRA] | Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) |
Population | 11,651,239
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
72,386 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 54% (FY 90/91 est.) | 30% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.21% (2003 est.) | 0.184% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) | AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2003) |
Railways | total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2002) |
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Religions | Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2% | Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal 5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.051 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.751 male(s)/female total population: 1.015 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 45,000 (2000) | 21,000 (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 49,000 (2000) | 41,800 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2001) | 1 (2004) |
Terrain | narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains | rugged mountains of volcanic origin |
Total fertility rate | 6.1 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 2.12 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 23% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | 144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall |
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