Transport in Malawi
Highways
Recent (c. 2009) assessments indicate that there were 15,451 km (9,601 mi) of roads in the country; of these, 6,956 km (4,322 mi) (45 percent) were paved. The remaining 8,496 km (5,279 mi) were not paved.[2]
Ports, harbours and waterways
Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (144 kilometres) provide the major waterways. There is a railhead at the port of Chipoka, Salima district in central Malawi. Smaller ports exist at Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota and Chilumba.
The MV Ilala connects Likoma Island with the mainland, as well as the Malawian and Mozambican sides of the lake. In 2010, a port in Nsanje was opened to connect the country through the Shire and Zambezi rivers with the Indian Ocean. As of 2015, the port is not operational due to unresolved contracts with Mozambique.
Air transport
Malawian Airlines Limited is the national airline of Malawi which operates regional passenger service. Based in
Airports
In 2001 there was a total of 44 airports in the country. As of 2015, two airports have scheduled passenger services.
Paved runways
total:
6
over 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
4 (2002)
Unpaved runways
total:
37
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
14
under 914 m:
22 (2002)
Rail transport
Malawi Railways is the national rail network in Malawi, run by a government corporation until privatisation in 1999. As of 1 December 1999 the Central East African Railways, a consortium led by Railroad Development Corporation, won the right to operate the network. This was the first rail privatisation in Africa which did not involve a parastatal operator.[3]
The rail network totalled 797 kilometres in 2001. It is a narrow gauge line with a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) track.
Railway links with adjacent countries
The 797-kilometre (495 mi), 1,067 mm (
There is no direct link with neighbouring Tanzania as there is a break of gauge, 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)/1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) . An extension from Mchinji to Chipata in Zambia opened in 2010,[4] and there is a proposal to eventually link up from there with the TAZARA railway at Mpika.[5] Direct linkage is available with Mozambique, however, which has the same gauge track. Linkage is called the Nacala Corridor line via Nayuchi to the port of Nacala, and Nsanje to the Dona Ana Bridge and Beira. The latter link has not been operational since the war in Mozambique and is in need of reconstruction.
Rail developments in 2006
In 2006, a Brazilian company (
Communications
As of 2007, there were 175,200
References
- ^ The World Factbook CIA.
- ^ "Malawi Roads Map" (PDF). National Roads Authority, Malawi. Retrieved 2009-03-24. [dead link]
- ^ Knapp, Bradley J; Posner III, Henry (June 2004). "A luta continua!". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- ^ "Railway Gazette: News in Brief". Archived from the original on 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ "CHIPATA RAILWAY | Railways Africa". Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ Knapp, Bradley J; Posner III, Henry (June 2004). "A luta continua". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- ^ "Malawi". NICI in Africa. Economic Commission for Africa. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ^ The World Factbook. CIA.
External links
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