Malawi

Landlocked Malawi lies at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley and is bounded by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. It lies between 9° and 17° south of the equator. Its climate may be loosely described as sub-tropical but varies considerably, being much influenced by altitude and Lake Malawi, which forms much of the country's eastern border. The dry season is from May to November. Malawi has a rural economy based on subsistence farming and fishing on the lake but also with large tobacco and tea estates. The country is one of the world's poorest and is slightly smaller than England at 45,747 square miles. As more of the population migrates from the countryside, the towns are growing fast. The population, living mainly in the the south of the country, is around 13 million. The varied countryside is characterised by a string of high plateau regions from the north to the south of the country, of which Nyika is one, and isolated rocky intrusions which conspicuously stick out of the flat landscape.