Some Facts About Malawi Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chichewa

Chichewa is a native Bantu language. Most Malawians speak both Chichewa and English, except for some tribal Bantu languages spoken in the more rural north.

Answer: Bingu wa Mutharika

Bingu wa Mutharika of the United Democratic Front (UDF) won the election, succeeding Bakili Muluzi, also of the UDP. John Tembo of the Malawi Congress Party came second, followed by Gwanda Chakuamba of the Mgwirizano Coalition. Malawi became a multi-party democracy in 1994, after 30 years under the dictator Hastings Banda.

Answer: Zomba

Zomba was capital of British Nyasaland from 1891-1964, and the capital of Malawi until 1975. Although Zomba is no longer the capital, the University of Malawi and the National Archives are still located here.

Answer: Nyasaland

Malawi was called Nyasaland until 1953, when it joined with Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to become the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In 1963, the Federation was dissolved and Nyasaland became Malawi. Malawi became fully independent in 1964.

Answer: 6 July 1966

Malawi gained independence on 6 July 1964. Two years later, it became a republic. 23 October 1953 was the date when Nyasaland joined Rhodesia to become the Federation and 31 December 1963 is the date when the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland dissolved.

Answer: Likoma

Likoma is a smallish island with a population of about 9,000, located toward the eastern side of Lake Malawi. Its most notable feature is its cathedral, which was built in 1903. The island was colonised by Anglican missionaries in the 1880's. Chizumulu island is the smaller of the two islands in the enclave. Chisi and Tongwe are islands in Lake Chilwa, Malawi's second largest lake, which have recently suffered from outbreaks of cholera.

Answer: Shire

The Shire river flows through the Shire Highlands of south Malawi. It drops 400m from Lake Malawi to the border with Mozambique, Malawi's lowest point. The river passes over many falls and rapids on its short path. The Shire river is part of the Great Rift Valley.

Answer: Malawi has no program in place to combat HIV/AIDS

The authorities in Malawi ignored the AIDS epidemic for years, but in 2004 announced an official program to tackle HIV/AIDS after the president's brother died from the disease. UNAIDS had announced that 810,000 Malawian adults were living with the disease in 2003. In 1990, Malawi's life expectancy was about 46-47 years. In 2004, the life expectancy was as low as 37.5 years.

Answer: Yellow

The Malawi flag consists of three horizontal stripes; black, red and green. The black stripe contains a picture of a rising sun in red. The colours are said to represent the black race of people (black), the blood shed in the struggle for independence (red) and the luscious vegetation of Malawi (green). The rising sun represents the dawn of a new era.

Answer: Limbe

Blantyre-Limbe is the chief town and commercial and industrial centre of Malawi, with a population of nearly 600,000. The two cities retain separate identities, however, with Blantyre an administrative centre and Limbe more industrial. Blantyre is named after the home town of famous Scottish explorer David Livingstone.