134-586: MWI is the country code for Malawi in several country code systems . MWI may also refer to: Malawi Malawi ( / m ə ˈ l ɑː w i / ; lit. ' flames ' in Chichewa and Chitumbuka ), officially the Republic of Malawi and formerly known as Nyasaland , is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa . It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to
268-606: A referendum in 1993, where the populace voted for a multi-party democracy . In late 1993, a presidential council was formed, the life presidency was abolished and a new constitution was put into place, effectively ending the MCP's rule. In 1994 the first multi-party elections were held in Malawi, and Banda was defeated by Bakili Muluzi (a former Secretary General of the MCP and former Banda Cabinet Minister). Re-elected in 1999, Muluzi remained president until 2004, when Bingu wa Mutharika
402-600: A "key to the Interior". In 1852, after sending his family to Britain, Livingstone travelled north to the village of Linyanti on the Zambezi river, located roughly midway between the east and west coast of the continent, where Sekeletu , chief of the Kololo , granted Livingstone authority as a nduna to lead a joint investigation of trade routes to the coast, with 27 Kololo warriors acting as interpreters and guides. They reached
536-408: A 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.74/10, ranking it 96th globally out of 172 countries. Malawi is among the world's least developed countries. Around 85% of the population lives in rural areas. The economy is based on agriculture, and more than one-third of GDP and 90% of export revenues come from this. In the past, the economy has been dependent on substantial economic aid from
670-668: A British protectorate was proclaimed over the Shire Highlands, which was extended in 1891 to include the whole of present-day Malawi as the British Central Africa Protectorate . In 1907, the protectorate was renamed Nyasaland , a name it retained for the remainder of its time under British rule. In an example of what is sometimes called the "Thin White Line" of colonial authority in Africa,
804-543: A President who is both Head of State and Head of Government , first and second Vice Presidents, and the Cabinet of Malawi . The President and Vice President are elected together every five years. A second Vice President may be appointed by the President if so chosen, although they must be from a different party. The members of the Cabinet of Malawi are appointed by the President and can be from either inside or outside of
938-441: A clear shot at a large lion, but while he was re-loading it attacked, crushing his left arm, and forced him to the ground. His life was saved by Mebalwe diverting its attention by trying to shoot the lion. He too got bitten. A man who tried spearing it was attacked just before it dropped dead. Livingstone's broken bone, even though inexpertly set by himself and Edwards, bonded strongly. He went for recuperation to Kuruman, where he
1072-621: A combination that he hoped would form an alternative to the slave trade, and impart dignity to the Africans in the eyes of Europeans. He believed that the key to achieving these goals was the navigation of the Zambezi River as a Christian commercial highway into the interior. He returned to Britain in December 1856. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him their Patron's Medal in 1855 for his explorations in Africa. Encouraged by
1206-442: A couple perceived as homosexual (a man and a trans woman ) faced extensive jail time when convicted. The convicted pair, sentenced to the maximum of 14 years of hard labour each, were pardoned two weeks later following the intervention of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon . In May 2012, then-President Joyce Banda pledged to repeal laws criminalising homosexuality. It was her successor, Peter Mutharika , who imposed
1340-456: A dockside bar. On 15 March 1841 the ship arrived at Simon's Bay , and for a month while it unloaded and loaded, the three stayed at Cape Town with Mr and Mrs Philip . As resident director of the LMS, Philip had continued their policy that all people were equal before God and in law, leading to disputes with Boers , and with British settlers as Philip held that Xhosa people were not to blame for
1474-475: A door-to-door tea salesman. He read books on theology, travel, and missionary enterprises extensively. This rubbed off on the young David, who became an avid reader, but he also loved scouring the countryside for animal, plant, and geological specimens in local limestone quarries. Neil feared that science books were undermining Christianity and attempted to force his son to read nothing but theology, but David's deep interest in nature and science led him to investigate
SECTION 10
#17327720704771608-589: A fabrication, as Stanley later tore out the pages of this encounter in his diary. Even Livingstone's account of this encounter does not mention these words. However, the phrase appears in a New York Herald editorial dated 10 August 1872, and the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography both quote it without questioning its veracity. The words are famous because of their perceived humour, Livingstone being
1742-459: A family with a strong, continuing commitment to study reinforced his education. At the age of 21, he was excited by a pamphlet his father got from the church setting out Gützlaff's call for missionaries to China, with the new concept that missionaries should be trained as medical doctors. His father was persuaded and, like many other students in Scotland, Livingstone was to support himself, with
1876-599: A four-oared gig . In 1861 the Colonial Office provided a new wooden paddle survey vessel, Pioneer , which took the Universities' Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) led by Bishop Charles MacKenzie up the Shire river to found a new mission. Livingstone raised funds for a replacement river steamer, Lady Nyasa , specially designed to sail on Lake Nyasa. It was shipped out in sections, contrary to his request, with
2010-422: A humble background, and manufactured events to make up for this supposed deficiency. Stanley's book suggests that this greeting was truly motivated by embarrassment, because he did not dare to embrace Livingstone. Despite Stanley's urgings, Livingstone was determined not to leave Africa until his mission was complete. His illness made him confused and he had judgment difficulties at the end of his life. He explored
2144-422: A lack of foreign exchange reserves erupted. The protests left 18 people dead and at least 44 others suffering from gunshot wounds. The Malawian flag was modified in 2010, altering three colored stripes with the white sun. It existed for a short while until 2012 when the colors of black-red-green of the old flag were restored. In April 2012, Mutharika died of a heart attack. Over a period of 48 hours, his death
2278-465: A major failing for Livingstone, and indicative of a pattern of putting his goals and career above the lives of those around him. Livingstone was now a celebrity, in great demand as a public speaker, and was elected to the Royal Society . He gained public backing for his plans, and raised finances for his next expedition by public subscription, as well as £5,000 from the government to investigate
2412-474: A means of opening my mouth with power among men. It is this power [with] which I hope to remedy an immense evil." His subsequent exploration of the central African watershed was the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa . At the same time, his missionary travels, "disappearance", and eventual death in Africa—;and subsequent glorification as
2546-495: A mission party including Mary Livingstone, and arrived in 1862. The Pioneer was delayed getting down to the coast to meet them, and there were further delays after it was found that the bishop had died. Mary Livingstone died on 27 April 1862 from malaria . Livingstone took Pioneer up the coast and investigated the Ruvuma River , and the physician John Kirk wrote "I can come to no other conclusion than that Dr Livingstone
2680-545: A moratorium in 2015 that suspended the country's anti-gay laws pending further review of the same laws. On 26 June 2021, the country's LGBT community held the first Pride parade in Lilongwe. Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique to the south, southwest, and southeast. It lies between latitudes 9° and 18°S , and longitudes 32° and 36°E . The Great Rift Valley runs through
2814-402: A nationwide fuel shortage, which was officially blamed on logistical problems, was more likely due to the hard currency shortage caused by the jet purchase. In addition, some setbacks have been experienced, and Malawi has lost some of its ability to pay for imports due to a general shortage of foreign exchange, as investment fell 23% in 2009. There are many investment barriers in Malawi, which
SECTION 20
#17327720704772948-477: A new constitution for Nyasaland, with a clause granting Africans the majority in the colony's Legislative Council. In 1961, Banda's Malawi Congress Party (MCP) gained a majority in the Legislative Council elections , and Banda became Prime Minister in 1963. The Federation was dissolved in 1963, and on 6 July 1964, Nyasaland became independent from British rule and renamed itself Malawi, and that
3082-780: A one-party state to a multi-party democracy strengthened Malawian ties with the United States. Significant numbers of students from Malawi travel to the US for schooling, and the US has active branches of the Peace Corps , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the Department of Health and Human Services , and the Agency for International Development in Malawi. Malawi maintained close relations with South Africa throughout
3216-536: A posthumous national hero in 1874—led to the founding of several major central African Christian missionary initiatives carried forward in the era of the European " Scramble for Africa ". Livingstone was born on 19 March 1813 in the mill town of Blantyre , Scotland, in a tenement building for the workers of a cotton factory on the banks of the River Clyde under the bridge crossing into Bothwell . He
3350-479: A release from the fear of eternal damnation. Livingstone's reading of missionary Karl Gützlaff 's Appeal to the Churches of Britain and America on behalf of China enabled him to persuade his father that medical study could advance religious ends. Livingstone's experiences in H. Monteith's Blantyre cotton mill were also important from ages 10 to 26, first as a piecer and later as a spinner . This monotonous work
3484-541: A result, Livingstone became one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century Victorian era . Livingstone's fame as an explorer and his obsession with learning the sources of the Nile was founded on the belief that if he could solve that age-old mystery, his fame would give him the influence to end the East African Arab–Swahili slave trade . "The Nile sources", he told a friend, "are valuable only as
3618-531: A sailing brig bound for the Cape of Good Hope , along with two other LMS missionaries: Ross, who had been ordained at the same service as him, and Ross's wife. During the long voyage he studied Dutch and Tswana language , and the captain gave him extensive tuition in navigation. At Rio de Janeiro , unlike the other two, he ventured ashore and was impressed by the cathedral and scenery, but not by drunkenness of British and American sailors so he gave them tracts in
3752-515: A share of GDP) than any other African country: 28% of GDP. Beginning in 2006, the country began mixing unleaded petrol with 10% ethanol , produced in-country at two plants, to reduce dependence on imported fuel. In 2006, in response to low agricultural harvests, Malawi began a programme of fertilizer subsidies, the Fertiliser Input Subsidy Programme (FISP). It has been reported that this programme, championed by
3886-471: A war zone, with Portuguese soldiers and their slaves fighting the Chikunda slave-hunters of Matakenya (Mariano), but both sides accepted the expedition as friends. The experts, stuck at Shupanga, could not make the intended progress, and there were disagreements. Artist Thomas Baines was dismissed from the expedition. Others on the expedition became the first to reach Lake Nyasa and they explored it in
4020-472: Is at 457 metres (1,500 ft) above sea level, with a maximum depth of 701 metres (2,300 ft), which means the lake bottom is over 213 metres (700 ft) below sea level at some points. In the mountainous sections of Malawi surrounding the Rift Valley, plateaus rise generally 914 to 1,219 metres (3,000 to 4,000 ft) above sea level, although some rise as high as 2,438 metres (8,000 ft) in
4154-586: Is based upon the English model and consists of a Supreme Court of Appeal, a High Court divided into three sections (general, constitutional, and commercial), an Industrial Relations Court and Magistrates Courts, the last of which is divided into five grades and includes Child Justice Courts. The judicial system has been changed several times since Malawi gained independence in 1964. Conventional courts and traditional courts have been used in varying combinations, with varying degrees of success and corruption. Malawi
MWI - Misplaced Pages Continue
4288-471: Is commemorated as the nation's Independence Day, a public holiday . Under a new constitution, Malawi became a republic with Banda as its first president. The new document also formally made Malawi a one-party state with the MCP as the only legal party. In 1971, Banda was declared president-for-life . For almost 30 years, Banda presided over a rigidly totalitarian regime, which ensured that Malawi did not suffer armed conflict. Opposition parties, including
4422-490: Is composed of three regions (the Northern, Central, and Southern regions), which are divided into 28 districts , and further into approximately 250 traditional authorities and 110 administrative wards. Local government is administered by central government-appointed regional administrators and district commissioners. For the first time in the multi-party era, local elections took place on 21 November 2000, with
4556-455: Is encouraging farmers away from tobacco towards more profitable crops, including spices such as paprika . The move away from tobacco is further fueled by likely World Health Organisation moves against the particular type of tobacco that Malawi produces, burley leaf . It is seen to be more harmful to human health than other tobacco products. India hemp is another possible alternative, but arguments have been made that it will bring more crime to
4690-457: Is estimated at 10% (2009). The country makes no significant use of natural gas. As of 2008 , Malawi does not import or export any electricity but does import all its petroleum, with no production in the country. In 2008, Malawi began testing cars that ran solely on ethanol, and the country is continuing to increase its use of ethanol. As of 2009, Malawi exports an estimated US$ 945 million in goods per year. Tobacco's world prices declined, and
4824-593: Is known now as Malawi was Nyasaland , a combination of the Lomwe word nyasa "lake" and the English word "land". The combined name was formed by David Livingstone , a Scottish explorer and missionary who led the Zambezi Expedition through the area in the mid-1800s. The current name Malawi , meaning "flames" in Chichewa and Chitumbuka , was chosen by the first president of Malawi , Kamuzu Banda , after
4958-451: Is out of his mind and a most unsafe leader". When Pioneer returned to Shupanga in December 1862, they paid (in cloth) their "Mazaro men" who left and engaged replacements. On 10 January 1863 they set off, towing Lady Nyasa , and went up the Shire river past scenes of devastation as Mariano's Chikunda slave-hunts caused famine, and they frequently had to clear the paddle wheels of corpses left floating downstream. They reached Chibisa's and
5092-404: The 2020 Malawian presidential election and he became the new president. Malawi is divided into 28 districts within three regions: Central Region Northern Region Southern Region Former President Hastings Banda established a pro-Western foreign policy that continued into early 2011. It included good diplomatic relationships with many Western countries. The transition from
5226-462: The African Union (AU). Malawi is one of the world's least-developed countries . The economy is heavily based on agriculture , and it has a largely rural and growing population. Key indicators of progress in the economy, education, and healthcare were seen in 2007 and 2008. Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality . HIV/AIDS is highly prevalent, which both reduces
5360-614: The Apartheid era, which strained Malawi's relationships with other African countries. Following the collapse of apartheid in 1994, diplomatic relationships were made and maintained into 2011 between Malawi and all other African countries. In 2010, however, Malawi's relationship with Mozambique became strained, partially due to disputes over the use of the Zambezi River and an inter-country electrical grid. In 2007, Malawi established diplomatic ties with China, and Chinese investment in
5494-584: The Church of Scotland for a local Congregational church , influenced by preachers like Ralph Wardlaw , who denied predestinarian limitations on salvation. Influenced by revivalistic teachings in the United States, Livingstone entirely accepted the proposition put by Charles Finney, Professor of Theology at Oberlin College, Ohio, that "the Holy Spirit is open to all who ask it". For Livingstone, this meant
MWI - Misplaced Pages Continue
5628-790: The Colonial Office steamer Pearl , which took them out on its way to Ceylon. They left on 10 March, at Freetown collected twelve Kru seafarers to man the river steamer, and reached the Zambezi on 14 May. The plan was for both ships to take them up the river to establish bases, but it turned out to be completely impassable to boats past the Cahora Bassa rapids, a series of cataracts and rapids that Livingstone had failed to explore on his earlier travels. Pearl offloaded their supplies on an island about 40 miles (64 km) upstream. From there, Ma Robert had to make repeated slow journeys, getting hauled across shoals. The riverbanks were
5762-649: The Faculty (now Royal College) of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow on 16 November 1840 (in 1857 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty). On 20 November 1840 Livingstone was ordained a minister of the church, as was another missionary to South Africa, William Ross, in a service at the Albion Chapel , Finsbury. The ordination service was conducted by Cecil and J. J. Freeman. Though Livingstone had responded to Gützlaff's call for missionaries to China,
5896-623: The Indiana University of Pennsylvania who scanned Livingstone's diary suggest that in putting his fragmentary notes about the massacre into the narrative of his journal, he left out his concerns about some of his followers, slaves owned by Banyan merchants who had been hired by John Kirk , acting consul at Zanzibar, and sent to get Livingstone to safety. These slaves had been liberated and added to his party, but had shown violent conduct against local people contrary to his instructions, and he feared they might have been involved in starting
6030-477: The London Missionary Society , he wrote up his journal, but unconventionally had his Missionary Travels published in 1857 by John Murray , making it a bestselling travelogue. The book included his field science and exceptionally sympathetic descriptions of African people. He proposed that missions and "legitimate commerce" by river into central Africa would end slave trading. Livingstone
6164-779: The Murchison Cataracts in April, then began dismantling Lady Nyasa and building a road to take its sections past the cataracts, while explorations continued. He brought the ships downriver in 1864 after the government ordered the recall of the expedition. The Zambezi Expedition was castigated as a failure in many newspapers of the time, and Livingstone experienced great difficulty in raising funds to further explore Africa. John Kirk, Charles Meller, and Richard Thornton, scientists appointed to work under Livingstone, contributed large collections of botanical, ecological, geological, and ethnographic material to scientific Institutions in
6298-645: The Nyangwe market on the banks of the Lualaba River , while he was watching next to the leading Arab trader Dugumbe who had given him assistance. The cause behind this attack is stated to be retaliation for actions of Manilla, the head slave who had sacked villages of Mohombo people at the instigation of the Wagenya chieftain Kimburu. The Arabs attacked the shoppers and Kimburu's people. Researchers from
6432-787: The Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) was formed by the Africans of Nyasaland to promote local interests to the British government. In 1953, Britain linked Nyasaland with Northern and Southern Rhodesia in what was the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland , often called the Central African Federation (CAF), for mainly political reasons. Even though the Federation was semi-independent, the linking provoked opposition from African nationalists, and
6566-479: The Royal Geographical Society of London and was made a Fellow of the society, with which he had a strong association for the rest of his life. Livingstone completely lost contact with the outside world for six years and was ill for most of the last four years of his life. Only one of his 44 letter dispatches made it to Zanzibar . One surviving letter to Horace Waller was made available to
6700-582: The UNESCO World Heritage List . Lake Malawi National Park was first listed in 1984, and the Chongoni Rock Art Area was listed in 2006. Malawi's climate is hot in the low-lying areas in the south of the country and temperate in the northern highlands. The altitude moderates what would otherwise be an equatorial climate. Between November and April, the temperature is warm with equatorial rains and thunderstorms, with
6834-676: The Vaal River in January 1844, Livingstone rode out to meet them there, then sat in the Moffats' ox-cart talking with Robert for hours during the seventeen or eighteen days it took to get home to Kuruman. For the first time, he met their daughter Mary , who had been born and brought up in Africa. Lions often attacked the herds of the Mabotsa villagers, and on 16 February, Mebalwe and Livingstone joined them defending sheep. Livingstone got
SECTION 50
#17327720704776968-676: The World Bank , the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other countries. Malawi was ranked the 119th safest investment destination in the world in the March 2011 Euromoney Country Risk rankings. The Malawian government faces challenges in developing a market economy, improving environmental protection, dealing with the rapidly growing HIV/AIDS problem, improving the education system, and satisfying its foreign donors to become financially independent. In December 2000,
7102-606: The Xhosa Wars over extending the Cape Colony . Missionary factions disagreed over this, and over his emphasis on missionary work among Griqua people of the colony, while others like Moffatt wanted more focus on new areas. There were also tensions between artisan missionaries engaged for lay expertise, and ordained missionaries. The ship took Livingstone and the Rosses on to Algoa Bay , from 19 May to 31 July they were on
7236-501: The relationship between religion and science . In 1832, he read Philosophy of a Future State , written by Thomas Dick , and he found the rationale that he needed to reconcile faith and science and, apart from the Bible, this book was perhaps his greatest philosophical influence. Other significant influences in his early life were Thomas Burke, a Blantyre evangelist , and David Hogg, his Sunday school teacher. At age fifteen, David left
7370-487: The "Last Journals", published in 1874, left out the context of Livingstone's earlier comments about Kirk and bad behaviour of the hired Banyan men, and omitted the villagers' earlier violent resistance to Arab slavers, so it portrayed the villagers as passive victims. The section on the massacre itself had only minor grammatical corrections. Further research into diary notes continues. The massacre horrified Livingstone, leaving him too shattered to continue his mission to find
7504-724: The 2024 V-Dem Democracy indices , Malawi is ranked 74th electoral democracy worldwide and 11th electoral democracy in Africa . The country maintains positive diplomatic relations with most countries, and participates in several international organisations , including the United Nations , the Commonwealth of Nations , the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and
7638-634: The Bakgatla were proving indifferent to the Gospel. He abandoned Chonuane, his next mission, in 1847 because of drought and the proximity of the Boers and his desire "to move on to the regions beyond". At Kolobeng Mission Livingstone converted Chief Sechele in 1849 after two years of patient persuasion. Only a few months later Sechele lapsed. To improve his Tswana language skills and find locations to set up mission stations, Livingstone made journeys far to
7772-478: The IMF stopped aid disbursements due to corruption concerns, and many individual donors followed, resulting in an almost 80% drop in Malawi's development budget. However, in 2005, Malawi was the recipient of over US$ 575 million in aid. Many analysts believe that economic progress for Malawi depends on its ability to control population growth. A 2009 purchase of a private presidential jet followed almost immediately by
7906-499: The Indian Ocean, having mapped most of the course of the Zambezi river. For this, Livingstone became famous as the first European to cross south-central Africa at that latitude and was hailed as having "opened up" Africa, but there was already a long-established trans-regional network of trade routes. Portuguese traders had penetrated to the middle of the continent from both sides, in 1853–1854 two Arab traders crossed
8040-603: The Kololo in Barotseland , which Livingstone had promoted. That mission eventually suffered deaths from malaria of a missionary, his wife, a second missionary's wife, and three children. Livingstone had suffered over thirty attacks during his previous journey but had understated his suffering and overstated the quality of the land they would find, and the missionaries set out for the marshy region with wholly inadequate supplies of quinine. Biographer Tim Jeal considered this episode
8174-553: The LMS directors accepted Livingstone, and agreed to his request to continue studying with Cecil at Ongar until the end of the year, then have LMS support for medical studies in London. To gain necessary clinical training he continued his medical studies at the Charing Cross Hospital Medical School , with his courses covering medical practice, midwifery, and botany. He qualified as a licentiate of
SECTION 60
#17327720704778308-500: The LMS in October 1837, and in January was sent questions which he answered. He got no reply until invited to two interviews in August 1838. He was then accepted as a probationary candidate, and given initial training at Ongar, Essex , as the introduction to studies to become a minister within the Congregational Union serving under the LMS, rather than the more basic course for an artisan missionary. At Ongar, he and six other students had tuition in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and theology from
8442-481: The Lualaba and, failing to find connections to the Nile, returned to Lake Bangweulu and its swamps to explore possible rivers flowing out northwards. Livingstone is known as "Africa's greatest missionary," yet he is recorded as having converted only one African: Sechele , who was the chief of the Kwena people of Botswana (Kwena are one of the main Sotho-Tswana clans, found in South Africa, Lesotho, and Botswana in all three Sotho-Tswana language groupings). Sechele
8576-409: The Malawi Freedom Movement of Orton Chirwa and the Socialist League of Malawi , were founded in exile. Malawi's economy, while Banda was president, was often cited as an example of how a poor, landlocked, and heavily populated country deficient in mineral resources could achieve progress in both agriculture and industrial development. Under pressure for increased political freedom , Banda agreed to
8710-418: The Malawian economy but have also drawn significant inflows of aid from other countries. Donors to Malawi include the United States, Canada, and Germany, as well as international institutions such as the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund , the European Union , the African Development Bank , and UN organizations. Malawi is a member of several international organizations, including the Commonwealth ,
8844-525: The Maravi that reached from north of what is now Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River and from Lake Malawi to the Luangwa River in what is now Zambia and the Nkhamanga. Soon after 1600, with the area mostly united under one native ruler, native tribesmen began encountering, trading with and making alliances with Portuguese traders and members of the military. By 1700, however, the empire had broken up into areas controlled by many individual ethnic groups. The Indian Ocean slave trade reached its height in
8978-400: The NAC gained popular support. An influential opponent of the CAF was Hastings Banda , a European-trained doctor working in Ghana who was persuaded to return to Nyasaland in 1958 to assist the nationalist cause. Banda was elected president of the NAC and worked to mobilize nationalist sentiment before being jailed by colonial authorities in 1959. He was released in 1960 and asked to help draft
9112-549: The Portuguese city of Luanda on the Atlantic in May 1854 after profound difficulties and the near-death of Livingstone from fever. Livingstone realized the route would be too difficult for future traders, so he retraced the journey back to Linyanti. Then with 114 Kololo men, loaned by the same chief, he set off east down the Zambezi. On this leg he became the first European to see the Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders") waterfall, which he named Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria . Eventually he successfully reached Quelimane on
9246-411: The Reverend Richard Cecil, who in January 1839 assessed that, despite "heaviness of manner" and "rusticity", Livingstone had "sense and quiet vigour", good temper and substantial character "so I do not like the thought of him being rejected." A month later, he still thought Livingstone "hardly ready" to go on to theological studies at Cheshunt College , and "worthy but remote from brilliant". In June 1839
9380-424: The UDF party winning 70% of the available seats. There was scheduled to be a second round of constitutionally mandated local elections in May 2005, but these were cancelled by the government. In February 2005, President Mutharika split with the United Democratic Front and began his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party , which had attracted reform-minded officials from other parties and won by-elections across
9514-460: The UN and some of its child agencies, the IMF, the World Bank, the African Union , and the World Health Organization . The country was the first in southern Africa to receive peacekeeping training under the African Crisis Response Initiative . Malawi is the 79th most peaceful country in the world (of 163), according to the 2024 Global Peace Index . As of 2017 , international observers noted issues in several human rights areas. Excessive force
9648-547: The US, and China. In 2016, Malawi was hit by a drought, and in January 2017, the country reported an outbreak of armyworms around Zomba. The moth is capable of wiping out entire fields of corn, the staple grain of residents. On 14 January 2017, the agriculture minister George Chaponda reported that 2,000 hectares of crop had been destroyed, having spread to nine of twenty-eight districts. David Livingstone David Livingstone FRGS FRS ( / ˈ l ɪ v ɪ ŋ s t ə n / ; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873)
9782-576: The United Kingdom. In January 1866, Livingstone returned to Africa, this time to Zanzibar , and from there he set out to seek the source of the Nile . Richard Francis Burton , John Hanning Speke , and Samuel Baker had identified either Lake Albert or Lake Victoria as the source (which was partially correct, as the Nile "bubbles from the ground high in the mountains of Burundi halfway between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria " ), but there
9916-410: The United States followed suit, freezing a US$ 350 million grant, citing concerns regarding the government's suppression and intimidation of demonstrators and civic groups, as well as restriction of the press and police violence. Malawi has been seen as a haven for refugees from other African countries, including Mozambique and Rwanda , since 1985. These influxes of refugees have placed a strain on
10050-507: The agreement of the mill management, by working at his old job from Easter to October, outwith term time. He joined Anderson's University , Glasgow, in 1836, studying medicine and chemistry, as well as attending theology lectures by the anti-slavery campaigner Richard Wardlaw at the Congregational Church College, where he may also have studied Greek . To enter medical school, he needed some knowledge of Latin, and
10184-608: The area in the 1860s and 1870s; the African Lakes Company Limited was established in 1878 to set up a trade and transport concern, a small mission and trading settlement were established at Blantyre in 1876, and a British Consul took up residence there in 1883. The Portuguese government was also interested in the area, so, to prevent Portuguese occupation, the British government sent Harry Johnston as British consul with instructions to make treaties with local rulers beyond Portuguese jurisdiction. In 1889,
10318-500: The colonial government of Nyasaland was formed in 1891. The administrators were given a budget of £10,000 (1891 nominal value) per year, which was enough to employ ten European civilians, two military officers, seventy Punjabi Sikhs and eighty-five Zanzibar porters . These few employees were then expected to administer and police a territory of around 94,000 square kilometres with between one and two million people. That same year, slavery came to its complete cessation. In 1944,
10452-634: The continent from Zanzibar to Benguela , and around 1800 two native traders crossed from Angola to Mozambique. Livingstone advocated the establishment of trade and religious missions in central Africa, but abolition of the African slave trade , as carried out by the Portuguese of Tete and the Arab Swahili of Kilwa , became his primary goal. His motto—now inscribed on his statue at Victoria Falls—was " Christianity, Commerce and Civilization ",
10586-738: The continental average, it was lower than the regional average for southern Africa. Its highest scores were for safety and rule of law, and its lowest scores were for sustainable economic opportunity, with a ranking of 47th on the continent for educational opportunities. Malawi's governance score had improved between 2000 and 2011. Malawi held elections in May 2019, with President Peter Mutharika winning re-election over challengers Lazarus Chakwera, Atupele Muluzi, and Saulos Chilima. In 2020 Malawi Constitutional Court annulled President Peter Mutharika's narrow election victory last year because of widespread fraud and irregularities. Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera won
10720-485: The country achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1964. The area of Africa now known as Malawi had a very small population of hunter-gatherers before waves of Bantu peoples began emigrating from the north around the 10th century CE. Although most of the Bantu peoples continued south, some remained and founded ethnic groups based on common ancestry. By 1500, the tribes had established several kingdoms such as
10854-590: The country from north to south, and to the east of the valley lies Lake Malawi (also called Lake Nyasa ), making up over three-quarters of Malawi's eastern boundary. Lake Malawi is sometimes called the Calendar Lake as it is about 365 miles (587 km) long and 52 miles (84 km) wide. The Shire River flows from the south end of the lake and joins the Zambezi River 400 kilometres (250 mi) farther south in Mozambique . The surface of Lake Malawi
10988-628: The country has continued to increase since then, despite concerns regarding the treatment of workers by Chinese companies and competition of Chinese business with local companies. In 2011, a document was released in which the British ambassador to Malawi criticised President Mutharika. Mutharika expelled the ambassador from Malawi, and in July 2011, the UK announced that it was suspending all budgetary aid because of Mutharika's lack of response to criticisms of his government and economic mismanagement. On 26 July 2011,
11122-474: The country in 2006. In 2008, President Mutharika had implemented reforms to address the country's major corruption problem, with at least five senior UDF party members facing criminal charges. In 2012, Malawi was ranked 7th of all countries in sub-Saharan Africa in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance , an index that measures several variables. Although the country's governance score was higher than
11256-426: The country through its resemblance to varieties of cannabis used as a recreational drug and the difficulty in distinguishing between the two types. The cultivation of Malawian cannabis, known as Malawi Gold , as a drug has increased significantly. Malawi is known for growing "the best and finest" cannabis in the world for recreational drug use , according to a recent World Bank report, and cultivation and sales of
11390-673: The country's president, is causing Malawi to become a net exporter of food to nearby countries. The FISP ended with President Mutharika's death. In 2020, the programme was replaced with the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP), which extends the subsidy on maize seed and fertiliser to sorghum and rice seed. The main agricultural products of Malawi include tobacco , sugarcane , cotton , tea , corn , potatoes, sorghum, cattle, and goats. The main industries are tobacco, tea, and sugar processing, sawmill products, cement, and consumer goods . The industrial production growth rate
11524-521: The course of many rivers, especially the upper Zambezi, and his observations enabled large regions to be mapped which previously had been blank. Even so, the farthest north he reached was the north end of Lake Tanganyika—still south of the Equator —and he did not penetrate the rainforest of the River Congo any farther downstream than Ntangwe near Misisi . Livingstone was awarded the gold medal of
11658-615: The crop may contribute to corruption within the police force. Other exported goods are cotton, peanuts, wood products, and apparel . The main destination locations for the country's exports are South Africa, Germany, Egypt, Zimbabwe, the United States, Russia, and the Netherlands. Malawi currently imports an estimated US$ 1.625 billion in goods per year, with the main commodities being food, petroleum products, consumer goods, and transportation equipment. The main countries that Malawi imports from are South Africa, India, Zambia, Tanzania,
11792-425: The direction of Lake Tanganyika, with his health declining. He sent a message to Zanzibar requesting that supplies be sent to Ujiji and he then headed west, forced by ill health to travel with slave traders. He arrived at Lake Mweru on 8 November 1867 and continued on, travelling south to become the first European to see Lake Bangweulu . Upon finding the Lualaba River , Livingstone theorised that it could have been
11926-489: The directors were "restricted in their power of aiding plans connected only remotely with the spread of the Gospel". This brusque rejection for new mission stations north of the Zambezi and his wider object of opening the interior for trade via the Zambezi, was not enough to make him resign from the LMS at once. When Roderick Murchison , president of the Royal Geographical Society, put him in touch with
12060-583: The disabled, youth, and women. The Malawi Congress Party is the ruling party together with several other parties in the Tonse Alliance led by Lazarus Chakwera while the Democratic Progressive Party is the main opposition party. Suffrage is universal at 18 years of age, and the central government budget for 2021/2022 is $ 2.4 billion from $ 2.8 billion for the 2020/2021 financial year. The independent judicial branch
12194-421: The elections (coming third) and was replaced by Peter Mutharika , the brother of ex-President Mutharika. In the 2019 Malawian general election president Peter Mutharika was narrowly re-elected. In February 2020 Malawi Constitutional Court overturned the result because of irregularities and widespread fraud. In May 2020 Malawi Supreme Court upheld the decision and announced a new election was held on July 2. This
12328-593: The foreign secretary, Livingstone said nothing to the LMS directors, even when his leadership of a government expedition to the Zambezi seemed increasingly likely to be funded by the exchequer. "I am not yet fairly on with the Government," he told a friend, "but am nearly quite off with the Society (LMS)." Livingstone resigned from the London Missionary Society in 1857, and in May of that year he
12462-425: The government has failed to address, including high service costs and poor infrastructure for power, water, and telecommunications. As of 2017 , it was estimated that Malawi had a purchasing power parity (PPP) of $ 22.42 billion, with a per capita GDP of $ 1200, and inflation estimated at 12.2% in 2017. Agriculture accounts for 35% of GDP, industry for 19%, and services for the remaining 46%. Malawi has one of
12596-768: The government is seen as a major issue, despite the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) attempts to reduce it. Corruption within security forces is also an issue. Malawi had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. In 2015, Malawi raised the legal age for marriage from 15 to 18. Societal issues found included violence against women , human trafficking , and child labour . Other issues that have been raised are lack of adequate legal protection of women from sexual abuse and harassment, very high maternal mortality rate, and abuse related to accusations of witchcraft . As of 2010 , homosexuality has been illegal in Malawi. In one 2010 case,
12730-524: The high part of the Nile ; but realised that it in fact flowed into the River Congo at Upper Congo Lake . The year 1869 began with Livingstone finding himself extremely ill while in the jungle. He was saved by Arab traders who gave him medicines and carried him to an Arab outpost. In March 1869, Livingstone suffered from pneumonia and arrived in Ujiji to find his supplies stolen. He was coming down with cholera and had tropical ulcers on his feet, so he
12864-405: The international community increases pressure to limit tobacco production. Malawi's dependence on tobacco is growing, with the product jumping from 53% to 70% of export revenues between 2007 and 2008. The country also relies heavily on tea, sugar, and coffee, with these three plus tobacco making up more than 90% of Malawi's export revenue. Due to a rise in costs and a decline in sales prices, Malawi
12998-497: The labour force and requires increased government expenditures. The country has a diverse population that includes native peoples , Asians , and Europeans . Several languages are spoken, and there is an array of religious beliefs. Although in the past there was a periodic regional conflict fuelled in part by ethnic divisions, by 2008 this internal conflict had considerably diminished, and the idea of identifying with one's Malawian nationality had reemerged. The first name given to what
13132-527: The legislature. The legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly of 193 members who are elected every five years, and although the Malawian constitution provides for a Senate of 80 seats, one does not exist in practice. If created, the Senate would provide representation for traditional leaders and a variety of geographic districts, as well as special interest groups, including
13266-655: The long trek by ox-cart to the Kuruman Mission . The Moffats had not yet returned from Britain, and he immersed himself in Tswana life. From September to late December he trekked 750 miles (1,210 km) with the artisan missionary Roger Edwards, who had been at Kuruman since 1830 and had been told by Moffat to investigate potential for a new station. They visited and discussed the area called Mabotsa, Botswana, near Zeerust , North West Province, South Africa. In 1842 Livingstone went on two treks with African companions,
13400-533: The looming First Opium War made the LMS directors cautious about sending recruits there. When he asked to extend his probationary training at Ongar, Cecil told him of their wish that he should be employed in the West Indies "in preference to South Africa". On 2 July 1839 he wrote to the LMS directors that the West Indies was by then well served by doctors, and he had always been attracted to other parts of
13534-485: The lowest per capita incomes in the world, although economic growth was estimated at 9.7% in 2008 and strong growth is predicted by the International Monetary Fund for 2009. The poverty rate in Malawi is decreasing through the work of the government and supporting organisations, with people living under the poverty line decreasing from 54% in 1990 to 40% in 2006, and the percentage of "ultra-poor" decreasing from 24% in 1990 to 15% in 2007. In January 2015, southern Malawi
13668-452: The massacre. His diary noted "Dugumbe's men murdering Kimburu and another for slaves" and implied that the slave Manilla played a leading part, but looking back at the events, he says Dugumbé's people bore responsibility, and started it to make an example of Manilla. In the diary he described his sending his men with protection of a flag to assist Manilla's brother. In his journal version it was to assist villagers. The version edited by Waller in
13802-521: The mid-1800s, when approximately 20,000 people per year were believed to have been enslaved and transported from Nkhotakota to Kilwa where they were sold. Missionary and explorer David Livingstone reached Lake Malawi (then Lake Nyasa ) in 1859 and identified the Shire Highlands south of the lake as an area suitable for European settlement. As the result of Livingstone's visit, several Anglican and Presbyterian missions were established in
13936-523: The missionary Robert Moffat , who was then in England with his family to publicise the work of his LMS mission at Kuruman in South Africa. Livingstone questioned him repeatedly about Africa, and as Moffat later recalled; "By and by he asked me whether I thought he would do for Africa. I said I believed he would, if he would not go to an old station, but would advance to unoccupied ground, specifying
14070-406: The north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 21,240,689 (as of 2024). Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe . Its second-largest is Blantyre , its third-largest is Mzuzu , and its fourth-largest is Zomba , the former capital. The part of Africa now known as Malawi
14204-590: The north of Kolobeng with William Cotton Oswell . In 1849 they crossed the Kalahari Desert and reached Lake Ngami . In 1850, he was recognised by the Royal Geographical Society which presented him a chronometer watch for 'his journey to the great lake of Ngami'. He heard of a river which could potentially become a "Highway" to the coast, and in August 1851 they reached the Zambezi which he hoped would be
14338-488: The north. To the south of Lake Malawi lies the Shire Highlands , gently rolling land at approximately 914 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level. In this area, the Zomba and Mulanje mountain peaks rise to respective heights of 2,134 and 3,048 metres (7,000 and 10,000 ft). Malawi's capital is Lilongwe , and its commercial centre is Blantyre , with a population of over 500,000 people. Malawi has two sites listed on
14472-479: The only other white person for hundreds of miles, along with Stanley's clumsy attempt at appearing dignified in the bush of Africa by making a formal greeting one might expect to hear in the confines of an upper-class London club. However, readers of the Herald immediately saw through Stanley's pretensions. As noted by his biographer Tim Jeal, Stanley struggled his whole life with a self-perceived weakness of being from
14606-483: The potential for British trade via the Zambezi. In December 1857 the Foreign Office proposed a huge expedition. Livingstone had envisaged another solo journey with African helpers, in January 1858 he agreed to lead a second Zambezi expedition with six specialist officers, hurriedly recruited in the UK. The prefabricated iron river steamer Ma Robert was quickly built in portable sections, and loaded onto
14740-544: The principals were mission members Paul and Mebalwe, a deacon . In June 1843, Edwards got LMS approval to set up a mission station with his wife at Mabotsa. Livingstone moved there by agreement, and joined them in the physical work of building facilities. He wrote to tell LMS secretary Arthur Tidman, saying he would be delighted to call Mabotsa "the centre of the sphere of my labours", but would try to hold himself "in readiness to go anywhere, provided it be forward". The Moffats, accompanied by two new missionary families, reached
14874-622: The public in 2010 by its owner Peter Beard. It reads: "I am terribly knocked up but this is for your own eye only... Doubtful if I live to see you again..." Henry Morton Stanley had been sent to find him by the New York Herald newspaper in 1869. He found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika on 10 November 1871, apparently greeting him with the now famous words "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Livingstone responded, "Yes", and then, "I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you." These famous words may have been
15008-581: The richest lake fish faunas in the world , being the home for some 200 mammals, 650 birds, 30+ mollusk, and 5,500+ plant species. Seven terrestrial ecoregions lie within Malawi's borders: Central Zambezian miombo woodlands , Eastern miombo woodlands , Southern miombo woodlands , Zambezian and mopane woodlands , Zambezian flooded grasslands , South Malawi montane forest-grassland mosaic , and Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic . There are five national parks , four wildlife and game reserves and two other protected areas in Malawi. The country had
15142-523: The source of the Nile. Following the end of the wet season, he travelled 240 miles (390 km) from Nyangwe back to Ujiji, an Arab settlement on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika—violently ill most of the way—arriving on 23 October 1871. Livingstone was wrong about the Nile, but he identified numerous geographical features for Western science, such as Lake Ngami , Lake Malawi , and Lake Bangweulu , in addition to Victoria Falls mentioned above. He filled in details of Lake Tanganyika , Lake Mweru , and
15276-543: The storms reaching their peak severity in late March. After March, the rainfall rapidly diminishes, and from May to September, wet mists float from the highlands into the plateaus, with almost no rainfall during these months. Animal life indigenous to Malawi includes mammals such as elephants, hippos, antelopes, buffaloes, big cats, monkeys, rhinos, and bats; a great variety of birds , including birds of prey, parrots, and falcons; waterfowl and large waders; and owls and songbirds. Lake Malawi has been described as having one of
15410-563: The vast plain to the north, where I had sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages, where no missionary had ever been." He was excited by Moffat's vision of expanding missionary work to the north of Bechuanaland , and by the hotly debated topic of Christianity and commerce. The LMS missionary John Philip , after discussion with the abolitionist Fowell Buxton , published Researches in South Africa in 1828, proposing that Christianity would always bring "civilisation" including free trade and free labour . This argument
15544-460: The world rather than a settled pastorate . With LMS agreement, he continued to get theological tuition from Cecil until the end of the year, then resumed medical studies. On beginning his clinical training in January 1840, he returned to Mrs. Sewell's missionary boarding house in Aldersgate , where he had stayed previously when in London. Others staying there were visited occasionally by
15678-570: Was elected . Although the political environment was described as "challenging", it was stated in 2009 that a multi-party system still existed in Malawi. Multiparty parliamentary and presidential elections were held for the fourth time in Malawi in May 2009, and President Mutharika was successfully re-elected, despite charges of election fraud from his rival. President Mutharika was seen by some as increasingly autocratic and dismissive of human rights, and in July 2011 protests over high costs of living, devolving foreign relations, poor governance and
15812-579: Was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist , pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society , and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livingstone , from the prominent 18th-century Moffat missionary family. Livingstone came to have a mythic status that operated on a number of interconnected levels: Protestant missionary martyr, working-class " rags-to-riches " inspirational story, scientific investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader, and advocate of British commercial and colonial expansion. As
15946-399: Was again forced to rely on slave traders to get him as far as Bambara—where he was caught by the wet season. With no supplies, Livingstone had to eat his meals in a roped-off enclosure for the entertainment of the locals in return for food. On 15 July 1871, Livingstone recorded in his field diary his immediate impressions as he witnessed around 400 Africans being massacred by Arab slavers at
16080-465: Was appointed as her majesty's consul with a roving commission, extending through Mozambique to the areas west of it. In February 1858 his area of jurisdiction was stipulated to be "the Eastern Coast of Africa and the independent districts in the interior". While he negotiated with the government for his new position as consul, the LMS thought that he would return to Africa with their mission to
16214-484: Was born in 1812. His father died when Sechele was 10, and two of his uncles divided the tribe, which forced Sechele to leave his home for nine years. When Sechele returned, he took over one of his uncle's tribes; at that point, he met Livingstone. Livingstone immediately became interested in Sechele, and especially his ability to read. Being a quick learner, Sechele learned the alphabet in two days and soon called English
16348-492: Was encouraged by the response in Britain to his discoveries and support for future expeditions. He proposed to do more exploration, primarily to find routes for commercial trade which he believed would displace slave trade routes, more so than for solely missionary work. The London Missionary Society (LMS) on learning of his plans sent a letter which Livingstone received at Quelimane, congratulating him on his journey but said that
16482-624: Was hit by floods. These floods affected more than a million people across the country, including 336,000 who were displaced, according to UNICEF . Over 100 people were killed, and an estimated 64,000 hectares of cropland were washed away. The economy of Malawi is predominantly agricultural. Over 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming, even though agriculture only contributed to 27% of GDP in 2013. The services sector accounts for more than half of GDP (54%), compared to 11% for manufacturing and 8% for other industries, including natural uranium mining. Malawi invests more in agriculture (as
16616-481: Was kept secret, including an elaborate flight with the body to South Africa, where the ambulance drivers refused to move the body, saying they were not licensed to move a corpse. After the South African government threatened to reveal the information, the presidential title was taken over by Vice-President Joyce Banda (no relation to Hastings Banda). In the 2014 Malawian general election , Joyce Banda lost
16750-449: Was necessary to support his impoverished family, but it taught him persistence, endurance, and a natural empathy with all who labour, as expressed by lines that he used to hum from the egalitarian Robert Burns song : "When man to man, the world o'er/Shall brothers be for a' that". Livingstone attended Blantyre village school, along with the few other mill children with the endurance to do so despite their 14-hour workday (6 am–8 pm). Having
16884-554: Was reinforced for Livingstone when he attended the Exeter Hall meeting of 1 June 1840 where Buxton powerfully made the case that the African slave trade would be ended if chiefs, instead of having to sell slaves, could obtain desired European goods through "legitimate trade", its effect augmented by Christian missions preaching the gospel and introducing school education. Livingstone left London on 17 November 1840, passenger on
17018-453: Was renamed Malawi . Two years later, Banda became president by converting the country into a one-party presidential republic. Banda was declared President for life in 1971. Independence were characterized by Banda's highly repressive dictatorship. After the introduction of a multiparty system in 1993, Banda lost the 1994 general election . Today, Malawi has a democratic , multi-party republic headed by an elected president. According to
17152-458: Was seen to be used by police forces and security forces with impunity, mob violence was occasionally seen, and prison conditions continued to be harsh and sometimes life-threatening. However, the government was seen to make some effort to prosecute security forces who used excessive force. Other legal issues included limits on free speech and freedom of the press , lengthy pretrial detentions, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. Corruption within
17286-541: Was settled around the 10th century by migrating Bantu groups. They formed various kingdoms such as Maravi kingdom and Nkhamanga Kingdom , among others that flourished from the 16th century. In 1891, the area was colonised by the British as the British Central African Protectorate , and it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. In 1964, Nyasaland became an independent country as a Commonwealth realm under Prime Minister Hastings Banda , and
17420-693: Was still serious debate on the matter. Livingstone believed that the source was farther south and assembled a team to find it consisting of freed slaves, Comoros Islanders, twelve Sepoys , and two servants from his previous expedition, Chuma and Susi . Livingstone set out from the mouth of the Ruvuma river, but his assistants gradually began deserting him. The Comoros Islanders had returned to Zanzibar and (falsely) informed authorities that Livingstone had died. He reached Lake Malawi on 6 August, by which time most of his supplies had been stolen, including all his medicines. Livingstone then travelled through swamps in
17554-563: Was tended by Moffat's daughter Mary, and they became engaged. His arm healed, enabling him to shoot and lift heavy weights, though it remained a source of much suffering for the rest of his life, and he was not able to lift the arm higher than his shoulder. Livingstone and Mary were married on 9 January 1845. Livingstone was obliged to leave his first mission at Mabotsa in Botswana in 1845 after irreconcilable differences emerged between him and his fellow missionary, Rogers Edwards, and because
17688-481: Was the first time an election in the country was legally challenged. Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera won the 2020 Malawian presidential election and he was sworn in as the new president of Malawi. Malawi is a unitary presidential republic under the leadership of President Lazarus Chakwera . The current constitution was put into place on 18 May 1995. The branches of the government consist of executive , legislative , and judicial . The executive includes
17822-514: Was the second of seven children born to Neil Livingstone (1788–1856) and his wife Agnes ( née Hunter; 1782–1865). David was employed at the age of ten in the cotton mill of Henry Monteith & Co. in Blantyre Works . He and his brother John worked 14-hour days as piecers , tying broken cotton threads on the spinning machines. Neil Livingstone was a Sunday school teacher and teetotaller who handed out Christian tracts on his travels as
17956-439: Was tutored by a local Roman Catholic man, Daniel Gallagher (later a priest, founder of St Simon's, Partick ). Livingstone worked hard, got a good grounding in science and medicine, and made lifelong friends including Andrew Buchanan and James Young . The London Missionary Society (LMS) was at the time the major organisation in the country for missionary work, and unlike others was open to Congregationalists . He applied to
#476523