Development - Malawi

Question 1

Name ways of measuring development

Answer 1

• HDI Rank
• GDP
• Citizen freedoms
• Literacy rate
• % People living below poverty line
• % Access to safe drinking water

Question 2

What factors are holding Malawi back from developing

Answer 2

• Landlocked
• Climate change
• Rural Isolation
• Increased Pollution
• Lasting effects of colonialism

Question 3

Why is Malawi being landlocked a hinderance to its development

Answer 3

• No coastline, no port to export goods in masses
• Therefore export and import goods must travel 800km on a single track railway
• Additional tariffs have to be paid for using foreign ports

Question 4

How does its rural isolation affect is development

Answer 4

• 85% of its population is rural
• Lack of infrastructure
• Takes hours to travel 20km to local markets
• Roads may be cut off during rainy season

Question 5

How does climate change affect Malawi’s development

Answer 5

• Water shortages due to temperature rise
• Food shortages caused by variable rainfall and increased drought
• Heavy rains reduced Malawi’s harvest by 7%
• 10,000 families made homeless due to flooding

Question 6

How do colonisation affects affect Malawi’s development

Answer 6

• Many agricultural farms are still owned by western British TNC’s
• Cheap labour is exploited, workers get paid 1p per KG of tea leaves or coffee cherries
• Over 80% of Malawi’s population works in farming
• In UK tea is sold at about £8 per kilogram, 800X what workers get paid for harvesting it

Question 7

Why is there Increased Pollution in Malawi and why is it hindering its development ?

Answer 7

-Economic growth has led to rapid urban growth in Lilongwe (capital)
-As a result:
–water supplies become contaminated
–Rapid growth in squatter settlements with no sanitation or waste management
–Air pollution has increased
Due to the increase in pollution living standards have decreased significantly

Question 8

How is Malawi’s terms of trade hindering its development ?

Answer 8

The value of Malawi’s imports every year is less than the value of its exports leading to a constant financial loss:
2014:
-Exports: $1.3 billion
-Imports: $2.5 billion
Debt increases an average of 300 million per year