For three decades Malawi's destiny was tied to the whims of its totalitarian president-for-life, Kamuzu Banda, who enjoyed being surrounded by dancing women and who encouraged people to betray relatives who criticised his rule.
In the mid-1990s he buckled under popular pressure to hold elections, and lost - finally giving Malawians a taste for multi-party democracy.
His successor, Bakili Muluzi, removed many of the repressions of the Banda years, but the leadership was accused of corruption. Social problems persist, including poverty and the high rate of HIV-Aids infection.
AT-A-GLANCE
Most Malawians rely on subsistence farming, but the food supply situation is precarious and the country is prone to natural disasters of both extremes - from drought to heavy rainfalls - putting it in constant need of thousands of tonnes of food aid every year.
Malawi has been urged by world financial bodies to free up its economy. Since the mid-1990s it has privatised many loss-making state-run corporations. Its single major natural resource, agricultural land, is under severe pressure from rapid population growth.
Tens of thousands of Malawians die of Aids every year. After years of silence, the authorities spoke out about the crisis. A programme to tackle HIV-Aids was launched in 2004, with President Muluzi revealing that his brother had died from the disease.
Malawi boasts a variety of landscapes, from wetlands and lakes to mountains and forests. National parks and game reserves beckon visitors.
President: Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika scored a resounding victory in presidential elections held in May 2009, winning a second term in office.
He saw off a challenge by John Tembo, an ally of his predecessor and main political rival, Bakili Muluzi.
Mr Mutharika originally came to power in May 2004 as the presidential candidate of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF).
Less than a year after his election, he resigned from the UDF, accusing the party and Mr Muluzi of opposing his high-profile anti-corruption campaign. He formed a new grouping, the Democratic Progressive Party.
Mr Mutharika had been hand-picked by the outgoing President Muluzi as the UDF candidate after parliament refused to accept an amendment to the constitution allowing Mr Muluzi to stand for a third term.
Donor countries warned in 2005 that a power struggle between the president and his predecessor was diverting the government's attention from pressing problems, including food shortages.
Mr Mutharika is an economist and a former secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa). He has also worked for the World Bank and the UN.
Radio is the chief source of information for many Malawians. State-run MBC is the main national broadcaster. Television was introduced in 1999.
Privately-owned publications present a range of opinions, although the government has used libel and other laws to put pressure on newspaper journalists.
BBC World Service is available on FM in Blantyre (98.7), Lilongwe (98.0) and Mzuzu (87.9).
By early 2008, around 1% of Malawians were using the internet (ITU).
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