Nationality: noun—Malawian(s); adjective—Malawian
Ethnic divisions: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni,
Ngonde, Asian, European
Religion: 55% Protestant, 20% Roman Catholic, 20% Muslim; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced
Language: English and Chichewa (official); other languages important regionally
Literacy: 41.2%
Labor force: 428,000 wage earners; 43% agriculture, 16% manufacturing, 15% personal services, 9% commerce, 7% construction, 4% miscellaneous services, 6% other permanently employed (1986)
Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized
Note: there are 800,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1989 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Malawi
Type: one-party state