Malawi

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi.

Did you know that:
1. The Malawians’ first European contact was with the Portuguese. They traded ivory, iron – and slaves.
2. Lake Malawi was once called “The Lake of the Stars” by the famed Scottish explorer David Livingstone, because lantern lights he saw from the fishermen’s boats resembled the stars at night.
3. In 2006, Malawi was brought into international spotlight when David Banda Mwale, a Malawian boy in an orphanage, was adopted by pop icon Madonna. Controversy surrounded the adoption because Malawi laws require would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adoption – and Madonna didn’t.
4. The earliest human settlements in Malawi date back to 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. They were bushmen people, whose rock paintings can still be seen outside the capital of Lilongwe.
5. The chambo fish, one of Malawi’s favorite delicacies, is an endangered species.
6. Malawi is the only country in the world that has a Carlsberg factory (with the exception, of course, of Denmark).