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Full country name:Republic of Malawi
Area: 118,500 sq km (45,747 sq mi)
Population: 10.4 million
Capital city: Lilongwe (pop 260,000)
People: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European
Languages: English, Chichewa, regional languages
Religion: 55% Protestant, 20% Roman Catholic, 20% Muslim, traditional indigenous beliefs
Government: Multi-party democracy
President: Bakili Muluzi

GDP: US$8.9 billion
GDP per head: US$940
Annual growth: 3.2%
Inflation: 83.4%
Major industries: Tea, tobacco, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods, tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, cattle, goats
Major trading partners: US, South Africa, Germany, Japan, Zimbabwe, UK

Events

Public Holidays
1 January - New Year's Day
16 January - John Chilembwe Day
3 March - Martyrs' Day
Easter Holidays - Good Friday, Easter Monday
1 May - Labour Day
14 June - Freedom Day
6 July - Republic Day
Second Monday in October - Mother's Day
Second Monday in December - National Tree Planting Day
25 December - Christmas
26 December - Boxing Day

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: Nearly all visitors need visas, good for up to three months, and proof of onward travel.
Health risks: Heat stroke, hypothermia, dysentery, giardiasis, hepatitis A & B, typhoid, meninogococcal meningitis, cholera, malaria, rabies, diphtheria, tetanus, polio
Time: GMT/UTC plus 2 hours
Electricity: 220/240V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Ideal Time to visit

The best time to visit Malawi overall is in the dry season, which lasts from late April to October or November. If you're coming to see game, the best time is late in the dry season, when animals converge at water holes and the heat can be unpleasant, especially in the lowlands. The landscape is much more attractive and conditions less oppressive from May to July, but there are fewer animals about. The early dry season is the best time for birdwatching; it's also exceedingly hot, exceptionally wet or both.