Malawi in Numbers

Money

1 Kwacha = 100 tambala

1 Tambala = 0.005p!!

1 Kwacha = ½p

10 Kwacha = 5p

100 Kwacha = 52p

1000 Kwacha = £5.20

10,000 Kwacha = £52

£1 = 190 Kwacha

£10 = 1900 Kwacha

£100 = 19,000 Kwacha

£1000 = 190,000 Kwacha

Mr King’s hotel bill for 7 nights (inc. Meals)

60,000 Kwacha = £315

Petrol

1 Litre Unleaded = 251 Kwacha = £1.32

1 Litre Diesel = 234 Kwacha = £1.23

(More expensive than in Wales - Even higher that when we had the fuel crisis last year)

Food (Budget supermarket in Old Town)

Cornflakes (500g) = 865 Kwacha = £4.55

Snap, Crackle & Pop cereal (400g) = 900 Kwacha = £5.21

Nescafe coffee granules (100g) = 599 Kwacha = £3.15

‘Malawi Tea’ bags (100) = 416 Kwacha = £2.18

Fresh onions (per kg) = 150 Kwacha = 78p

6 apples (similar to ‘golden delicious’) = 600 Kwacha = £3.15

4 Oranges = 385 Kwacha = £2.02

Apple Juice (1 litre) = 500 Kwacha = £2.63

White sliced loaf of bread = 130 Kwacha = 68p

Cooking oil (1 litre) = 496 Kwacha = £2.61

Tomato Ketchup (750ml) = 411 Kwacha =£2.16

Orange Squash (1 litre) = 170 Kwacha = 89p

Sugar (2kg bag) = 238 Kwacha = £1.25

Maize Powder (ground corn)

2kg = 267 Kwacha = £1.40

5kg = 645 Kwacha = £3.39

10kg = 1290 Kwacha = £6.78

Rice

2kg = 710 Kwacha = £3.73

5kg = 1330 Kwacha = £7

10kg = 2530 Kwacha = £13.31

Colgate toothpaste (100m) = 199 Kwacha = £1.04

How do these prices compare to Welsh prices? Try visiting www.asda.com or www.tesco.com and comparing prices.

Roadside selling (average cost from roadside sellers)

Maize (corn on the cob) = 20-30 Kwacha = 10-15p

Mango = 10 Kwacha = 5p

Bag of charcoal = 1200 – 1500 Kwacha = £6.30  - £7.90

Population

Malawi - 13.9 million people

Lilongwe – 260,000 people

85% (nearly 9 out of 10)of people live in the countryside

90% (9 out of 10) of people work in farming

53% (more than half of all people) live below the International Poverty Line of $1 a day. (That's about 65p a day)

Power and Transport

97% of Malawi's electricity comes from hydroelectric power (made from water power)!

Malawi has 39 airports (6 tarmac runways, 33 grass or mud runways)

495 miles of railway

9601 miles of roads (4322 have tarmac, 5279 are mud)

175,200 telephones in Malawi

14 radio stations, 1 TV station

Land and Language

1/5 of Malawi is covered by Lake Malawi

500 different species of fish in Lake Malawi (more than any lake in the world!)

3 regions (north, central and south)

3 lanagues -Tambuka (north), Yao (south), Chichewa (south and central) – English is often understood (by those who have gone to school)

80-90% of Malawians live in the countryside and make their living (survive) by farming

530 different species of bird live in Malawi

Education

3 year, 2 months = average amount of time adults attended school

4 years = average amount of time primary school children stay in school

7% of pupils attend private primary schools

49% (half) of children who are still in school in Year 5

Religion

80% - Catholic

12% - Muslim

4% - Other

4% - None

Health

44% - people who can access clean water

45 – average age people live to

26% of people slept undera mosquito net  (in 2004)

6 - the average number of children a woman gives birth to.