Travel the World - Week 44

This is the 44th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Malawi

Malawi is a long, thin landlocked country in south east Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the north west, Tanzania to the north east and Mozambique to the south, south west and south east.

Malawi is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It stretches about  520 miles, from north to south and varies in width from 5 to 100 miles. The total land area of Malawi is 45,747 square miles .

The country is endowed with amazing highlands and extensive lakes.

Malawi’s climate is generally tropical. A rainy season runs from November to April. There is little to no rainfall throughout much of the country from May to October.

Malawi’s economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population.

The main agricultural products of Malawi include tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, sorghum, cattle, and goats.

It is also the eighth largest lake in the world, and the second deepest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi was discovered by David Livingstone around 150 years ago. It also has the nickname, the Calendar Lake because of the fact that it covers 365 miles north to south and 52 miles broad It is an inland sea that is fed by 14 perennial rivers.

Explorer, David Livingstone, called the famous lake ‘The Lake of Stars’ because of an assortment of lanterns he saw on fishing boats dotting the water on his arrival.

Lake Malawi takes up about one third of the country’s area.

Lake Malawi has the greatest number of fish species in any fresh water system on earth. The fishes are a source of livelihood for thousands and source of food for millions. It contains over a thousand species of fish, including the cichlid fish.

The chambo fish, one of Malawi’s favorite delicacies, is an endangered species.

The earliest human settlements in Malawi date back to 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. They were bushmen people, whose rock paintings can still be seen outside the capital of Lilongwe.

Chongoni Rock Art Area is located in the Central Region of Malawi, consisting of 127 sites in the forested hills of the Malawi plateau with depictions of rock art and paintings of the farmer community of the Late Stone Age and the Iron Age period.

The average life span in Malawi is 39 years.

Malawi has the highest production of burley leaf tobacco, a low grade, high nicotine tobacco. Tobacco accounts for the most profitable export in the country. It is also the largest source of income and Malawi is the world’s most tobacco dependent economy.

Malawi is the only country in the world that has a Carlsberg factory (with the exception, of course, of Denmark) – so Carlsberg beer is very inexpensive in Malawi.

The locals you meet are friendly, courteous and hospitable. Malawi is a relatively safe place and the people are not only kind to strangers but to one another. All visitors are welcomed with genuine warmth that cannot be feigned.

The Malawi people will also go out of their way to help a visitor. This is because they count it a great honor that you paid their country a visit. The people have recently being listed as the happiest people in Africa by Forbes.

The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a giant granite massif in southern Malawi. Its highest peak, Sapitwa, is the highest point in Malawi at  9,849 feet above sea level.

It is not unusual in Malawi to see a 12-seater bus transporting 25 people, plus goats, chicken, and baskets of vegetables.

In 2013, President Joyce Banda sold the presidential jet and a fleet of 60 luxury cars to feed the poor and grow crops to fight malnutrition.

Malawian society is very simple, so 21st century objects, such as digital cameras and mobile phones, can easily draw a crowd of onlookers.

Malawian men generally prefer wearing slacks rather than walking shorts, as the latter are regarded as a piece of clothing worn only by schoolchildren.

I decided to let this Malawi fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Malawi was the first African country to produce tea on a commercial basis. It is now the second largest tea producer in Africa after Kenya.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Technique Junkies Like a Teacup stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Blush Blossom CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Brads from an unknown vendor