Qatar (2001) | Malawi (2002) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 9 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Salal | 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
25.77% (male 101,155; female 97,086) 15-64 years: 71.75% (male 391,178; female 160,665) 65 years and over: 2.48% (male 13,625; female 5,443) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 44% (male 2,358,730; female 2,347,017)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 2,810,478; female 2,884,601) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 120,761; female 180,237) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts |
Airports | 4 (2000 est.) | 44 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 over 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 22 (2002) |
Area | total:
11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Connecticut | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
Background | Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir who had ruled the country since 1972. He was overthrown by his son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have a per capita income not far below the leading industrial countries of Western Europe. | 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. |
Birth rate | 15.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 37.13 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$3.9 billion expenditures: $4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $490 million
expenditures: $523 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.) |
Capital | Doha | Lilongwe |
Climate | desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) |
Coastline | 563 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent constitution | 18 May 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form:
State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar |
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
Currency | Qatari rial (QAR) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
Death rate | 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 23.2 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $13.1 billion (2000 est.) | $2.8 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Elizabeth Davenport MCKUNE embassy: 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4298 note: workweek is Saturday-Wednesday |
chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. MEECE
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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Badr Umar al-DAFA chancery: 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston |
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 |
Disputes - international | in March of 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Hawar Islands to Bahrain and adjusted its maritime boundary with Qatar; a final border resolution was agreed to with Saudi Arabia in March of 2001 | Malawi and Tanzania maintain a largely dormant dispute over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and current location of historical boundary in meandering Songwe River |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $427 million (1999) (1999) |
Economy - overview | Oil accounts for more than 30% of GDP, roughly 80% of export earnings, and 66% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.7 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to that of the leading West European industrial countries. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 7 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total, third largest in the world. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important. Long-term goals feature the development of offshore petroleum and the diversification of the economy. In 2000, Qatar posted its highest ever trade surplus of $6 billion, due mainly to high oil prices and increased natural gas exports. | 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 accounts for 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues. 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. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, and to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth. |
Electricity - consumption | 8.37 billion kWh (1999) | 767.25 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 9 billion kWh (1999) | 825 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 3%
hydro: 97% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m |
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities | 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, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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 |
Ethnic groups | Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% | Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European |
Exchange rates | Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.6400 (fixed rate) | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 67.3111 (December 2001), 72.1973 (2001), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881 (1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince JASSIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the monarch (selected crown prince by the monarch 22 October 1996); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in March 1999 Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council, which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services |
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: 38-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% |
Exports | $9.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $415.5 million f.o.b. (2001) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum products 80%, fertilizers, steel | tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel |
Exports - partners | Japan 52%, Singapore 9%, South Korea 8%, US, UAE (1998) | South Africa 18%, Germany 13%, US 13%, UK 10%, Japan 7%, Netherlands 3% (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $15.1 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1% industry: 49% services: 50% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 19% services: 41% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,300 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $660 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2000 est.) | 1.7% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 25 30 N, 51 15 E | 13 30 S, 34 00 E |
Geography - note | strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits | landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature |
Government - note | - | the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
1,230 km paved: 1,107 km unpaved: 123 km (1996) |
total: 14,594 km
paved: 2,773 km unpaved: 11,821 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $3.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $463.6 million f.o.b. (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment |
Imports - partners | UK 10%, Japan 8%, Germany 6%, US 6%, Italy 6% (1998) | South Africa 40%, UK 11%, Zimbabwe 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 2%, US 1.8%, Zambia (2000) |
Independence | 3 September 1971 (from UK) | 6 July 1964 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2.5% (2001 est.) |
Industries | crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods |
Infant mortality rate | 21.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 119.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2000) | 28.6% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, 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, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 7 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 80 sq km (1993 est.) | 280 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal | 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 |
Labor force | 233,000 (1993 est.) | 4.5 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 86% (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km |
total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km |
Land use | arable land:
1% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 0% other: 94% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33% other: 78.74% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language | English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally |
Legal system | discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters | 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 |
Legislative branch | unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed)
note: the constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held since 1970, when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have their terms extended every four years since |
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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
72.62 years male: 70.16 years female: 75.21 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 36.59 years
male: 36.05 years female: 37.15 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79% male: 79% female: 80% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58% male: 72.8% female: 43.4% (1999 est.) |
Location | Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia | Southern Africa, east of Zambia |
Map references | Middle East | Africa |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 677,992 GRT/1,049,447 DWT ships by type: cargo 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 7, petroleum tanker 6 (2000 est.) |
- |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security | Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $723 million (FY00/01) | $9.5 million (FY00/01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 10% (FY00/01) | 0.76% (FY00/01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
312,116 note: includes non-nationals (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 2,535,207 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
163,642 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,301,625 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
6,797 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 3 September (1971) | Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) |
Nationality | noun:
Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari |
noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian |
Natural hazards | haze, dust storms, sandstorms common | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, fish | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite |
Net migration rate | 20.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA, president]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Gwanda CHAKUAMBA, president, John TEMBO, vice president]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA, president]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | National Democratic Alliance [Brown MPINGANJIRA] |
Population | 769,152 (July 2001 est.) | 10,701,824
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 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 54% (FY90/91 est. ) |
Population growth rate | 3.18% (2001 est.) | 1.39% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id) | Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) |
Radios | 256,000 (1997) | 2.6 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2001) |
Religions | Muslim 95% | Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.43 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.5 male(s)/female total population: 1.92 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | suffrage is limited to municipal elections | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 142,000 (1997) | 38,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 43,476 (1997) | 49,000 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (plus three repeaters) (1997) | 1 (2001) |
Terrain | mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel | narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 5.04 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
Waterways | none | 144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall |