Livingstone's former "hunting ground" was under threat from the Portuguese and Arab slavers in the late 1880's when the resident Scottish missionaries and the African Lakes Company called on Rhodes for support. After aggressive diplomatic conflict with Germany in 1890s it became the British colony of Nyasaland. Between 1953 and 63 it was federated with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. In 1964 , as part of the program to dilute the power of white supremacists in Rhodesia, Britain released the colony and it became Malawi - with former prime minister, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, as president. (Banda declared himself 'president for life' on 6 July 1971.)

• Find out more about Malawi from this selection of country guides and histories.