Malawi is a state in southeast Africa bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west.
It is landlocked country but is bathed by Lake Malawi which is, by extension, the third largest lake in Africa; in fact, it covers about a fifth of the country’s surface.
Malawi has about 17,500,000 inhabitants, its capital is the city of Lilongwe. The ancient name of this state is Nyasaland, a name closely linked to the toponymy of the lake which is also called Lake Nyasa. However the origin of the name Malawi is not certain: it is assumed that it derives from the name of a tribe in the south of the country, but someone also attributes it to the sparkling of the sun rising over the lake, it is no coincidence this is also what is represented on the national flag. It is considered one of the poorest countries in the world: about three quarters of its population lives on less than one US dollar a day. More than half of its inhabitants are children under the age of 15 and 90% of the population lives in rural areas. The average life expectancy at birth is about 47 years for men and 51 years for women and the main cause of death is represented by HIV infection – that affect the vast majority of young adult age population – and all the complications resulting from it. In Malawi there are several ethnic groups: the majority is made up of black Africans (about 95%), the remaining minority includes white ethnic groups, mostly Anglo-Saxon, and Asian ethnic groups of Indian origin. The African blacks are in turn divided into different ethnic groups: CHEWA, NYANJA, YAO, TUMBUKA, LOMWE, SENA, TONGA, NGONI, NGONDE. Among them the Chewa represent the dominant ethnic group, their language, in fact, the chichewa or chewa, is the national language, spoken throughout the country. English is the official language that is used mainly in urban centers, but remains unknown in rural areas located more than 20km from the capital or other cities. Although many still practice traditional cults and rituals, most of the population in Malawi (75%) claims to be Christian (55% Protestants and 20% Catholics), while 15% are Muslim, especially in the north of the country and on the shores of Lake Malawi.