Malawi

Learn a little about Malawi and enjoy our collection of flag printables and resources - fun for the kids and useful in all sorts of projects.

A farmer watering his sugar cane crop, Malawi

A Little Geography

• The Republic of Malawi, in southeast Africa, borders Zambia to the northwest and is divided from Tanzania and Mozambique to the east by Lake Malawi.
• It is a narrow landlocked country with a population of 15 million and stretches 900 km from north to south. Malawi was originally settled by Bantu people,and was later part of the Arab-Swahili slave trade.
• Blantyre, the second biggest city, is named after Livingstone's birthplace in Lanarkshire, Scotland.
• Malawi prides itself on being the 'warm heart of Africa' because the local people will give you a friendly welcome.
• Lake Malawi is the third largest lake in Africa. It is known as "the calendar lake" as it is about 360 miles long by 52 miles wide! It contains the most species of fish in the world at over 500 mostly tropical fish called cichlids, many of which are used in aquariums. Tourists flock to 'beach' resorts such as Monkey Bay.
• Nyika is the country's largest National Park. The plateau habitat of rolling hills and pine valleys is unique in Africa and a haven for leopards, antelopes and zebra.
• Agriculture accounts for 90% of exports with tobacco, tea and sugar cane the most widely grown crops.

A Little History

• The earliest human settlements in Malawi date back 50,000 to 60,000 years ago to the Bushmen people, who were simple hunters and gatherers.  By the 4th century AD Bantu people arrived in the area introducing iron tools and weapons, and they also started farming in the area.
• In the 15th century the Mararvi empire was built by the people living south of Lake Nyasa. 
• British missionary David Livingstone was the first European here in 1859, naming what is now Lake Malawi, Lake Nyasa.
• In 1889 Britain claimed the territory as a protectorate, and in 1908 renamed the colony Nyasaland.
• Modern Malawi gained independence in 1964.
• Malawi was a one-party state until 1994. In 2012 Joyce Banda became President.

A beautiful beach in Monkey Bay, Lake Malawi

And some interesting facts...

• On Likoma Island, visitors may be surprised to find the huge stone St Peter's Cathedral, built here in 1903, opposite the Mozambique coast.
• The country is the second largest tea producer in Africa after Kenya.
• David Livingstone called Lake Malawi ‘The Lake of Stars’ because of the lanterns he saw on fishing boats out on the lake which resembled bright stars. 
• The traditional dress worn by women on Malawi is called Chitenje, a rectangular piece of fabric which comes in a variety of patterns, colours and designs. 

This map shows Malawi on a map of Africa. You can find a printable version here.

The Malawi Flag

This has been Malawi's flag since 1964, apart from a brief gap between 2010 and 2012. With traditional African colours, the black represents the indigenous people of Africa, green represents nature, and red represents the blood shed in the struggle of the people. The rising sun symbolises hope and freedom for the people of the African continent.

Our Malawi Flags and Other Resources