James Baquet When I was born, the Republic of Malawi was part of a semi-independent protectorate called the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, “Nyasaland” being the portion now called Malawi. (“Rhodesia” is now Zimbabwe.) Like the confusing nomenclature of Mauritania and Mauritius that we discussed previously, Malawi is nowhere near Mali (albeit on the same continent). Whereas Mali is in West Africa, Malawi is in the southeast, with Zambia to its northwest and Tanzania to its northeast. The southern portion of Malawi penetrates deeply into the area of Mozambique. The country is small enough, ranking 96th out of 198 in the world (or 36th out of 54 countries in Africa). Subtract from its area Lake Malawi — by some estimates a third of the country’s area, though others put it at only one-fifth — and it comes out very small indeed. Its population, however, is 63rd out of 195, making it rather high in density. Settled by Bantu groups starting around the 10th century, the area became a colony of Britain in 1891. After it became a joint protectorate in 1953, more changes came in the ‘60s. First, dissolution of the federation in 1963, then independence in 1964, and a new constitution establishing republic status in 1966. At first it was a totalitarian one-party state; since 1994 it has had a democratic, multi-party government with a pro-Western foreign policy. The largely Christian country has English as its sole official language, though native languages such as Chichewa are also spoken. Malawi is home to at least nine tribal groups, as well as Europeans and Asians. One of the world’s least-developed countries, Malawi’s largely rural population sustains a predominantly agricultural economy. The country has long depended on outside aid, though this dependence has decreased since 2000. Life expectancy is low, and infant mortality high. A high rate of HIV/AIDS taxes both the labor force and government expenditures. Other challenges lie in the essential areas of education, healthcare and the environment, as well as establishing financial independence. These areas have improved notably in the past decade or so. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. rate of the deaths of babies 2. challenges, takes a toll on 3. in favor of 4. together, in union with 5. how long people live 6. naming system 7. guesses, calculations 8. period of 10 years 9. having dictatorial control 10. disbursements, expenses | 