Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?

Gentle Reader,
At this point, you are probably wondering where Malawi is, and what exactly I'll be doing there. More on the second part later, but here is an excerpt from the Peace Corps Welcome Book:

History
Malawi is a small country in southeast Africa, and is known
for its natural beauty and its warm, hard-working people.
The first significant Western contact began with the arrival of
David Livingstone in 1859. Fiery sunlight glittering from Lake
Nyasa gave the name “Malawi”—land of flaming waters—to an
ancient Bantu empire. Present-day descendants revived the
name when what had once been the British Protectorate of
Nyasaland became independent in 1963.

The country is considered something of a success story
in African political development. In 1994, after 30 years
of one-party, dictatorial rule dating back to independence
from Britain, Malawi quietly and peacefully elected a new
government committed to multi-party democracy. In spite
of the wave of euphoria over their newly won freedom, the
Malawian people continue to face the obstacles of poverty,
drought, environmental degradation, hunger, disease, rising
crime, and illiteracy on their path to social, political, and
economic reform.

Economy
Agriculture forms the mainstay of Malawi’s economy,
accounting for nearly half of its gross domestic product
(GDP). Tobacco, tea, and sugar together generate more
than 70 percent of export earnings, with tobacco providing
the lion’s share (over 60 percent). The agricultural sector
employs nearly half of those formally employed and directly or
indirectly supports an estimated 85 percent of the population.

Malawi has a narrow economic base with little industry
and mining and no known economically viable deposits of
gemstones, precious metals, or oil. As a landlocked country,
transport costs make imported goods very expensive.
Zimbabwe and South Africa are Malawi’s most important
trading partners, and the value of the Kwacha, the local
currency, is greatly influenced by the economic conditions
in those countries. Currently, inflation is running at about 15
percent per year, and economic growth is in the 3 percent to
4 percent range.

People and Culture
Malawi is one of Africa’s most densely populated countries
with a population of about 12 million in a land area roughly
the size of Indiana. The African population includes six
principal tribes. Although there are distinct linguistic and
cultural differences among ethnic groups, geographic region
tends to be the predominate means of group identification.

English is one of the official languages, though it is not
commonly used outside major urban centers. More than 50
percent of the people speak Chichewa, the other official
language, and almost everyone understands it.

Malawi is predominantly a Christian country, but it also
has a sizeable Islamic population, mostly located along the
southern lakeshores. Along with the major organized religions,
animist beliefs are still strong in many areas of the country,
and these beliefs often influence the organized religions as
well. Many religions take different forms than what you may
be accustomed to, as local cultures and historical beliefs
influence the practice.

Environment
Malawi is a narrow country that hugs the western shore
of Lake Malawi (sometimes referred to as Lake Nyasa). At
places, its land area is barely 50 miles wide. Malawi shares
borders with Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique.

Malawi’s altitude varies from less than 200 feet above sea
level, at Nsanje in the south, to almost 10,000 feet at the
peak of Mount Mulanje. Lake Malawi, about 1,500 feet above
sea level and 380 miles long, is Africa’s third largest lake and
Malawi’s major tourist attraction. Imagine—the lake is larger
than the state of New Hampshire! Malawi has rainy and dry
seasons. The rainy season is from November to April, with the
heaviest rainfall between December and March. The terrain
varies widely and includes grassy slopes, rolling hills, striking
rock outcroppings, and dense forests.