Area: total: 118,480 sq km

Natural resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Population: 13,931,831

Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Languages: Chichewa 57.2% [official], Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% [1998 census]

Capital: name: Lilongwe
geographic coordinates: 13 59 S, 33 47 E
time difference: UTC+2 [7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time]

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 37.8%
industry: 18.1%
services: 44.1% [2007 est.]

Labor force: 4.5 million [2001 est.]

Budget: revenues: $1.128 billion
expenditures: $1.185 billion [2007 est.]

Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava [tapioca], sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts cattle, goats

Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Exports: $604 million f.o.b. [2007 est.]

Exports - commodities: tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

Exports - partners: South Africa 12.6%, Germany 9.7%, Egypt 9.6%, US 9.5%, Zimbabwe 8.5%, Russia 5.4%, Netherlands 4.4% [2006]

Imports: $866 million f.o.b. [2007 est.]

Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Imports - partners: South Africa 34.1%, India 8%, Zambia 7.6%, US 6.3%, Tanzania 5.8%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.2% [2006]

Currency (code): Malawian kwacha [MWK]

Airports: 39 [2007]

Railways: total: 797 km

Ports and terminals: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba