Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, and among the world‘s poorest. It was a British colony until declaring its independence in 1964. In the UN’s Human Development Index published on 27 November 2007, Malawi is ranked 164 of 177 countries in relation to national income per capita, life span, level of education, etc. Iceland, on the other hand, was ranked number one for the first time since the UN began compiling the list.

Lake Malawi covers about one-third of the country, and is the largest lake in Africa. Most of the fish caught in the lake are for human consumption at home. Tropical fish are also caught for export.