Malawi
 

21 Sep 1889 - 23 Feb 1893   23 Feb 1893 - 11 May 1914   11 May 1914 - 12 Dec 1919   12 Dec 1919 -  6 Jul 1964   24 Aug 1954 - 31 Dec 1963 Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland   6 Jul 1964 - 7 Aug 2010       7 Aug 2010 - 28 May 2012   Re-adopted 28 May 2012 Map of Malawi Hear National Anthem "Mulungu dalitsa Malaŵi" (Oh God Bless Our Land of Malawi) Text of National Anthem Adopted Feb 1964 Constitution  (18 May 1994) Capital: Lilongwe (Zomba 1889-1 Jan 1975) Currency: Malawi Kwacha  (MWK); 1964-1971 Malawi Pound (MWP); 1956-1965 Rhodesia & Nyasaland Pound (RHFP); 1940-1956 Southern Rhodesia Currency  Board Pound (RHSP); 1893-1940  British Pound (GBP) National Holiday: 6 Jul (1964) Independence Day (Republic Day) Population: 19,842,560 (2018) GDP: $22.42 billion (2017) Exports: $1.42 billion (2017) Imports: $2.31 billion (2017) Ethnic groups: Chewa 34.3%, Lomwe 18.8%, Yao 13.2%, Ngoni 10.4%, Tumbuka 9.2%, Sena 3.8%, Mang'anja 3.2%, Tonga 1.8%, Nyanja 1.8%, Nkhonde 1%, other 2.2%, foreign 0.3% (2018) Total Active Armed Forces: 5,300 (2010) Merchant marine: None (2018) Religions: Crotestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 14.2%, Seventh Day Adventist/Baptist 9.4%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 2.3%), Roman Catholic 17.2%, other Christian 26.6%, Muslim 13.8%, traditionalist 1.1%, other 5.6%, none 2.1% (2018) International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, AfCFTA, AfDB, APM, AU, BTWC, C, CCM, CD, COMESA, CTBT, CWC, EITI, ENMOD, ESCR, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, ICSID, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, IRENA (signatory), ISA, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NPT, NTBT, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNFCC-KP, UNFCC-PA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Malawi Index Chronology 1876                       Blantyre founded by British missionaries. 21 Sep 1889                Shire Highlands Protectorate declared a U.K.                              protectorate by acting consul John Buchanan (not                              recognized by U.K., but claimed by Portugal). 15 May 1891                Nyasaland Districts Protectorate 23 Feb 1893                British Central Africa Protectorate                               (administered by British South Africa Company).  6 Jul 1907                Nyasaland Protectorate  1 Aug 1953 - 31 Dec 1963  Part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland                              (see Zimbabwe).  9 May 1963                Nyasaland (self-rule).  6 Jul 1964                Independence from U.K. (Malawi).  6 Jul 1966                Republic of Malawi Traditional States Historical Maps of Malawi

Commissioners
21 Sep 1889 - 16 Apr 1896  Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston        (b. 1858 - d. 1927)
21 Sep 1889 - 1889         John Buchanan (acting for Johnston)(b. 1855 - d. 1896) 
16 Apr 1896 -  1 Apr 1907  Alfred Sharpe                      (b. 1853 - d. 1935)
                             (from 26 Jun 1903, Sir Alfred Sharpe)  
 1 Apr 1907 - 30 Sep 1907  Francis Barrow Pearce (acting)     (b. 1866 - d. 1926)
Governors
 1 Oct 1907 -  1 May 1908  Sir William Henry Manning          (b. 1863 - d. 1932)
                             (1st time) (acting)
 1 May 1908 -  1 Apr 1910  Sir Alfred Sharpe                  (s.a.)
 1 Apr 1910 -  4 Jul 1910  Francis Barrow Pearce (acting)     (s.a.)
 4 Jul 1910 -  6 Feb 1911  Henry Richard Wallis (acting)      (b. 1866 - d. 1946)
 6 Feb 1911 - 23 Sep 1913  Sir William Henry Manning          (s.a.)
                             (2nd time) (acting) 
23 Sep 1913 - 12 Apr 1923  George Smith                       (b. 1858 - d. 1938) 
                             (from 22 Jun 1914, Sir George Smith)
12 Apr 1923 - 27 Mar 1924  Richard Sims Donkin Rankine        (b. 1875 - d. 1961) 
                             (acting)
27 Mar 1924 - 30 May 1929  Sir Charles Calvert Bowring        (b. 1872 - d. 1945)
30 May 1929 -  7 Nov 1929  Wilfred Bennett Davidson-Houston   (b. 1870 - d. 1960)
                             (acting) 
 7 Nov 1929 - 22 Nov 1932  Shenton Whitelegge Thomas          (b. 1879 - d. 1962)
                             (from 1 Jan 1931, Sir Shenton Whitelegge Thomas) 
22 Nov 1932 -  9 Apr 1934  Sir Hubert Winthrop Young          (b. 1885 - d. 1950)
 9 Apr 1934 - 21 Sep 1934  Kenneth Lambert Hall (acting)      (b. 1887 - d. 1979)
21 Sep 1934 - 20 Mar 1939  Sir Harold Baxter Kittermaster     (b. 1879 - d. 1939)
20 Mar 1939 -  8 Aug 1942  Sir Henry Charles Donald Cleveland (b. 1889 - d. 1965)
                             Mackenzie-Kennedy 
 8 Aug 1942 - 27 Mar 1947  Sir Edmund Charles Smith Richards  (b. 1889 - d. 1955)
30 Mar 1948 - 10 Apr 1956  Geoffrey Francis Taylor Colby      (b. 1901 - d. 1958)
                             (from 3 Jun 1949, Sir Geoffrey Francis Taylor Colby)
10 Apr 1956 - 10 Apr 1961  Sir Robert Perceval Armitage       (b. 1906 - d. 1990)
10 Apr 1961 -  6 Jul 1964  Sir Glyn Smallwood Jones           (b. 1908 - d. 1992)
Queen¹
 6 Jul 1964 -  6 Jul 1966  the Queen of the United Kingdom
Governor-general (representing the British monarch as head of state)
 6 Jul 1964 -  6 Jul 1966  Sir Glyn Smallwood Jones           (s.a.)
Presidents
 6 Jul 1966 - 21 May 1994  Hastings Kamuzu Banda              (b. 1898? - d. 1997) MCP
21 May 1994 - 24 May 2004  Elson Bakili Muluzi                (b. 1942)            UDF
24 May 2004 -  5 Apr 2012  Bingu wa Mutharika                 (b. 1934 - d. 2012) UDF;2005 DPP
 5 Apr 2012 -  7 Apr 2012  Vacant
 7 Apr 2012 - 31 May 2014  Joyce Hilda Banda (f)              (b. 1950)            PP
31 May 2014 - 28 Jun 2020  Arthur Peter Mutharika             (b. 1940)            DPP
28 Jun 2020 -              Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera          (b. 1955)            MCP

Prime minister
 1 Feb 1963 -  6 Jul 1966  Hastings Kamuzu Banda              (s.a.)               MCP
 6 Jul 1966                Post abolished 

  ¹Full style:
(a) 6 Jul 1964 - 1964: "By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith";
(b) 1964 - 6 Jul 1966: "By the Grace of God Queen of Malawi and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth."

Territorial Disputes: Dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River; Malawi contends that the entire lake up to the Tanzanian shoreline is its territory, while Tanzania claims the border is in the center of the lake; the conflict was reignited in 2012 when Malawi awarded a license to a British company for oil exploration in the lake.

Party abbreviations: DPP = Democratic Progressive Party (Mutharika personalist, split from UDF, est.Feb 2005); MCP = Malawi Congress Party (nationalist, authoritarian, 1966-1993 only legal party, est.1959); PP = People's Party (Joyce Banda personalist, split from DPP, est.2011); UDF = United Democratic Front (liberal, Muluzi personalist, 1994-2004 ruling party, est.1992)