Location:
Southern Africa, east of Zambia
Geographic coordinates:
13 30 S, 34 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 118,480 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to
November)
Terrain:
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some
mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international
boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m
Natural resources:
limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of
uranium, coal, and bauxite
Land use:
arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33%
other: 78.74% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
280 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural
runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds
endangers fish populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most
prominent physical feature