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The Great Rift Valley runs across eastern Africa like an ancient scar from the Red Sea in the north to the Zambezi valley in the south. Malawi has two rift lakes - Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe - as well as Lake Chirwa and Lake Chiuta, which lie outside the Rift system. In all, over 20% of Malawi is covered by water. The Shire River, the only outlet from Lake Malawi, joins the Zambezi river in Mozambique, thence to the Indian Ocean. In the north the Rift Valley Escarpment rises steeply from the Lake, reaching altitudes of 2500metres, even more across the Lake in the Livingstone Mountains of Tanzania. Mountainous areas in the north include the beautiful Nyika Plateau and the forested Viphya Plateau. in the south the mystical Mulanje Mountain towers through the mist. Although Malawi has not yielded much in the way of hominid remains (to date, only one jaw bone dated around 2.5 million years) it is in the region that the earliest ancestors of humans lived. The roots of language, story and communication were formed here. Before recorded history, movements of people swept through Central Africa and national boundaries were not recognised. Only with the colonial influx were borders and nations established - often with little reference to the people who lived there. Africa was involved from earliest times in trade with places as far away as Arabia, India and China. Slave taking and the exchange of gold, ivory and other tropical products took place long before travellers arrived from Europe. There is a strong Islamic influence, especially around the lake, from these early contacts, which predated a powerful Christian initiative into the region through missionaries like David Livingstone and many others. During the colonial period, the country was incorporated into the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, achieving independence in 1964 with Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Prime Minister, Later (life) President. In 1994 Malawi held democratic elections for the first time since independence, and the current President, re-elected in 1999, is Dr Bakili Muluzi. Chichewa is the most commonly spoken local language in Malawi. Other languages spoken in Malawi include Chiyao, Chilomwe, Chitumbuka, Chitonga and Chisena. The official language is English. Education is diffucult after primary school level - and there are still, despite the free schooling introduced by the government of Dr. Bakili Muluzi, the problems associated with developing countries; lack of money, lack of school, lack of books. Malawian music, dance and literature (particularly in the oral tradition) are alive and well and, with multi-party democracy, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations have proliferated. Malawi's economy is based on agriculture and most of the people are either involved in farming projects, or are subsistence farmers. Tobacco, sugar and tea are the main exports and coffee is also grown. Rural people grow tobacco for sale at the huge auction floors in all three cities, and also plant maize, millet and rice, bananas, citrus and vegetables. Malawi is always beautiful. The cooler months (May to October) are comfortable for travellers from the northern hemisphere, but the lush green summer (November to April) is also a good time to visit if due care is taken to avoid mosquito bites. The May and June months combine the best of both seasons - cooler, still green with great visibility - and are especially good for photography. Be warned that country roads are often impassable to normal vehicles during heavy rains. Game viewing is best in the hottest times of the dry season when the animals are forced to visit water sources, but the country is more attractive in the wetter, greener months. Bird watchers enjoy their best sightings in October and November. Check for school holiday dates, particularly for those in South Africa when more tourists visit Malawi and resorts can become crowded. Blantyre is the commercial capital of Malawi. There is however a peculiar charm about this bustling city, especially at jacaranda time when many of the old roads are lined with lilac-blossomed trees with pools of petals at their feet. The site of the city was attractive to the missionaries and traders who built it, at a higher altitude that the surrounding land and ringed by scenic mountains. Zomba is the small university town that used to be the seat of government. Stop on the way to the lake - it's well orth it - and try to spend at least a night at Le Meridien Ku Chawe, a fine hotel on the lip of the Zomba plateau that towers over the little town. Thyolo is a very pleasant, leafy little town with distinctly colonial overtones and the wonderful scenery of tea estates on rolling hillsides. The big Satemwa Guest House, beautifully sited on a privately owned tea estate, is open to visitors but make sure to book first. Shire Valley is in the southernmost region of Malawi. It's real baobab country and in the rainy season the heat and the mosquitoes can deter the less adventurous, but there is plenty to see and do. The Shire River - where a very large hydroelectric dam has just been completed above Kapachira Falls - is an attraction in itself. Here are three National Parks and Wildlife Reserves - Majete, Mwabvi and Lengwe as well as the superbly photogenic Elephant Marsh. Republic of Malawi
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