World Factbook
Malawi
Dziko la Malawi
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
94,080 sq km
water
24,404 sq km
total
118,484 sq km
Climate
sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)
Terrain
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains
Land use
other
13.4% (2023 est.)
forest
22.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
64.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 42.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 19.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point
Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m
mean elevation
779 m
Irrigated land
740 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
2,857 km
border countries
Mozambique 1,498 km; Tanzania 512 km; Zambia 847 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
flooding; droughts; earthquakes
Geography - note
landlocked; Lake Nyasa, about 580 km (360 mi) long, is the country's most prominent physical feature; it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth
Natural resources
limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Geographic coordinates
13 30 S, 34 00 E
Population distribution
population density is highest south of Lake Nyasa, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Lake Chilwa - 1,040 sq km
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Malawi (shared with Mozambique and Tanzania) - 22,490
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Congo (3,730,881 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s], Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth