Although Malawi is a very small country, it is home to around 16 different spoken languages. These languages come from all the different tribes spread across Malawi. The Chewa Tribe in the central region speaks Chichewa, the Yao Tribe in the southern region speaks Chiyao, the Tumbuka Tribe in the northern region speaks Chitumbuka, etc. That being said, Chichewa has become the lingua franca, understood by most Malawians, even in areas where it is not the first language. As Malawi used to be part of a British colony, English is the language most often used in government, education, law, and business. However, only the well-educated can speak it, and so most day-to-day communication is done in Chichewa. Using English I can only communicate effectively with a small percentage of the overall population.
The local currency is the Malawian Kwacha (MWK). The official exchange rate is 1 USD = 1,735 MWK. The unofficial exchange rate (street rate) is currently around 1 USD = 3,500 MWK. That number has gone up from 1 USD = 2,300 MWK when I arrived. This gives a little insight into the devaluation of the Kwacha and the economic difficulties the country is currently facing.
