Malawi vs. Tanzania
Geography
| Malawi | Tanzania | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique |
| Geographic coordinates | 13 30 S, 34 00 E | 6 00 S, 35 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 118,484 sq km land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,404 sq km | total: 947,300 sq km land: 885,800 sq km water: 61,500 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,857 km border countries (3): Mozambique 1498 km, Tanzania 512 km, Zambia 847 km | total: 4,161 km border countries (8): Burundi 589 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 479 km, Kenya 775 km, Malawi 512 km, Mozambique 840 km, Rwanda 222 km, Uganda 391 km, Zambia 353 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,424 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) | varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands |
| Terrain | narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains | plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m mean elevation: 779 m | highest point: Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,018 m |
| Natural resources | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite | hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel |
| Land use | agricultural land: 59.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 38.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 19.6% (2018 est.) forest: 34% (2018 est.) other: 6.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 43.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 14.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.1% (2018 est.) forest: 37.3% (2018 est.) other: 19% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 740 sq km (2012) | 1,840 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | flooding; droughts; earthquakes | flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Ol Doinyo Lengai (2,962 m) has emitted lava in recent years; other historically active volcanoes include Kieyo and Meru |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations; negative effects of climate change (extreme high temperatures, changing precipatation pattens) | water polution; improper management of liquid waste; indoor air pollution caused by the burning of fuel wood or charcoal for cooking and heating is a large environmental health issue; soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory; loss of biodiversity; solid waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature; it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth | Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya [in Kenya] and the Ruwenzori Mountains [on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border]); Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in the southwest |
| Total renewable water resources | 17.28 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 96.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population density is highest south of Lake Nyasa as shown in this population distribution map | the largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
