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A country of western Africa. The site of several powerful states, including the Mali (flourished 14th century) and the Songhai (flourished 15th–16th century), Mali became part of French West Africa in the 19th century and achieved independence in 1960. Bamako is the capital and the largest city. Population: 12,000,000.
Malian Ma'li·an adj. & n.
For more information on Mali, visit Britannica.com.
(mä'lē) , officially Republic of Mali, independent republic (2005 est. pop. 12,292,000), 478,764 sq mi (1,240,000 sq km), the largest country in W Africa. Mali is bordered on the north by Algeria, on the east and southeast by Niger, on the south by Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, and on the west by Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. Bamako is the capital and by far the largest city.
Land and People
In the south, traversed by the Niger and Senegal rivers, are fertile areas where cotton, rice, and peanuts are grown. Elsewhere the country is arid desert or semidesert and barely supports grazing (mainly cattle, sheep, and goats). The Niger serves as an important transportation artery and a source of fish. The main ethnic groups are the Mande (Bambara, Malinke, and Soninke), who are chiefly farmers and fishermen, and the Fulani and Tuareg, who are pastoralists. About 90% of the population is Muslim; most of the remainder follow traditional religions. While French is the official language, Bambara is spoken by 80% of the population and there are many other African tongues.
Economy
The vast majority of Malians are employed in farming, herding, or fishing. Cotton and peanuts are the country's only significant cash crops, with millet, rice, corn, sorghum, and vegetables being the major food crops. Agriculture and herding have been increasingly hurt by the encroaching desert. Mali's industries are mainly limited to the processing of farm commodities, construction, and the manufacture of basic consumer goods. Gold, phosphate, kaolin, salt, limestone, and uranium are mined, and the country has extensive unexploited mineral resources, including bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper. Remittances from Malians working abroad are also an important source of income. The Manantali Dam on the Bafing River (a Senegal tributary) produces hydroelectric power.
Gold and cotton account for the bulk of Mali's export revenues; livestock and fish are also exported. The main imports are petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, food, and textiles. Mali's chief trading partners are China, France, Senegal, and Thailand.
Government
Mali is governed under the constitution of 1992. The executive branch is headed by a president, who is the head of state and is popularly elected for a five-year term and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president. The unicameral National Assembly has 147 members who are popularly elected for five-year terms. Administratively, the country is divided into eight regions.
History
Early History to the End of Colonialism
The Mali region has been the seat of extensive empires and kingdoms, notably those of Ghana (4th–11th cent.), Mali, and Gao. The medieval empire of Mali was a powerful state and one of the world's chief gold suppliers; it attained its peak in the early 14th cent. under Mansa (Emperor) Musa (reigned c.1312–1337), who made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 laden with gold and slaves to proclaim Mali's prosperity and power. During his rule Muslim scholarship reached new heights in Mali, and such cities as Timbuktu and Djenné (Jenne) became important centers of trade, learning, and culture.
The Mali empire was followed by the Songhai empire of Gao, which rose to great power in the late 15th cent. In 1590 the empire, already weakened by internal divisions, was shattered by a Moroccan army. The Moroccans, however, could not effectively dominate the vast region, which broke up into petty states. By the late 18th cent., the area was in a semianarchic condition and was subject to incursions by the Tuareg and Fulani.
The 19th cent. witnessed a great resurgence of Islam. The Tukolor empire of al-Hajj Umar (1794–1864) and the empire of Samori Touré (1870–98) emerged as Muslim states opposing French invasion of the region. By 1898 the French conquest was virtually complete; Mali, called French Sudan, became part of the Federation of French West Africa. A nationalist movement, spearheaded by trade unions and student groups, blossomed during the period between the two world wars. The Sudanese Union, a militantly anticolonial party, became the leading political force. Its leader, Modibo Keita, was a descendant of the Mali emperors.
Independence and Beyond
In the French constitutional referendum of 1958, French Sudan voted to join the French Community as the autonomous Sudanese Republic. In 1959 the republic joined Senegal to form the Mali Federation, but political differences shattered the union in 1960. That same year, the Sudanese Republic, renamed the Republic of Mali, obtained full independence from France and severed ties with the French Community. Seeking to promote African unity, Mali joined in a largely symbolic union with Guinea and Ghana, and in 1963 it joined the newborn Organization of African Unity.
Under Keita's presidency Mali became a one-party state committed to socialist policies. In 1962 the country withdrew from the Franc Zone and adopted a nonconvertible national currency. The resulting economic and financial difficulties forced an accommodation with France in 1967; Mali devalued its currency, returned to the Franc Zone, and permitted French administrators to assume a supervisory role in the economy. Militant elements in the Sudanese Union opposed this rapprochement, however, and Keita formed a people's militia to destroy opposition. The arrest of several dissenting army officers by the militia in 1968 provoked a bloodless military coup that overthrew the Keita regime and installed Lt. Moussa Traoré as president. The country continued to pursue a course of nonalignment in international affairs.
In the early 1970s, a prolonged drought desiccated the Sahel region of Africa, further reducing Mali's already meager water supplies. The drought shattered the country's agriculture economy by killing thousands of head of livestock and hindering crop production. The resulting famine, disease, and poverty contributed to the deaths of untold thousands and forced the southward migration of many peoples.
Keita died in prison in 1977, touching off a series of protests. A new constitution (1979) contained provisions for elections to be held, and democratic measures were implemented in spite of an unstable political climate. Traoré was reelected president in 1979; he effectively repressed coup attempts in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was again elected in 1985. Also in 1985, a border dispute with Burkina Faso erupted into armed conflict. Neighboring nations sent troops to end the fighting, but relations between the two countries remain strained.
In 1991, Traoré was overthrown in a coup and replaced with a transitional committee headed by Amadou Toumani Touré. Mali had been a one-party state controlled by the Democratic Union of the Malian People (UDMP) from 1974 until 1992. In that year a new constitution was approved providing for a multiparty democracy, and Alpha Oumar Konaré of the Alliance for Democracy (ADEMA) became Mali's first democratically elected president. In the early 1990s the Malian army was engaged in conflicts with the Tuareg ethnic group in the north, who rebelled against alleged government usurpation of its land and the suppression of its culture and language; following an upsurge in violence in 1994, a peace settlement was implemented in 1995 and thousands of refugees returned to Mali.
In 1997, Konaré was reelected virtually unopposed and ADEMA won decisively in the legislative elections, which were boycotted by much of the opposition. In 1999 the ousted dictator Traoré, his wife, and an associate were sentenced to death for embezzlement; their sentences were commuted to life in prison by President Konaré. Presidential elections in April and May, 2002, resulted in a victory for Amadou Touré, the former interim military ruler. Touré ran as an independent candidate, and after the subsequent National Assembly elections (July), he formed a broad-based government that included the two largest groupings in the National Assembly. In May, 2006, there were attacks in N Mali by Tuaregs the government said were army deserters, but in July a peace agreement was signed with the rebels. However, additional fighting occurred in 2007; a new truce was signed in Sept., 2007. Touré, running as the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP) coalition (which included ADEMA), was reelected in Apr., 2007, and in July National Assembly elections the ADP won a sizable majority of the seats.
Bibliography
See A. Bebler, ed., Military Rule in Africa: Dahomey, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali (1973); N. Levtzion, Ancient Ghana and Mali (1973); P. J. Imperato, Historical Dictionary of Mali (2d ed. 1986) and Mali (1989).
Geography:
Mali
(mah-lee)
- During the Middle Ages, Mali formed a huge territorial empire, noted as a center of Islamic study and as a trade route for gold. Its center was Timbuktu.
Local Time:
Mali
Local Time: Oct 12, 3:23 AM
Statistics:
Mali
Introduction
| Background: | The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE. |
Geography
| Location: | Western Africa, southwest of Algeria |
| Geographic coordinates: | 17 00 N, 4 00 W |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 1.24 million sq km land: 1.22 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries: | total: 7,243 km border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February) |
| Terrain: | mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m |
| Natural resources: | gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited |
| Land use: | arable land: 3.76% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 96.21% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 2,360 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding |
| Environment - current issues: | deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan |
People
| Population: | 11,995,402 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 2,921,914/female 2,853,976) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 2,891,494/female 2,959,142) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 149,301/female 219,575) (2007 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 15.9 years male: 15.4 years female: 16.3 years (2007 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.681% (2007 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 49.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death rate: | 16.51 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -6.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.024 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.977 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 105.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 115.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 95.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 49.51 years male: 47.6 years female: 51.46 years (2007 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 7.38 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.9% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 140,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 12,000 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007) |
| Nationality: | noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian |
| Ethnic groups: | Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5% |
| Religions: | Muslim 90%, Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9% |
| Languages: | French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.) |
Government
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Mali conventional short form: Mali local long form: Republique de Mali local short form: Mali former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Bamako geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou |
| Independence: | 22 September 1960 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 22 September (1960) |
| Constitution: | adopted 12 January 1992 |
| Legal system: | based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 April 2007 (next to be held April in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA 19.2%, other 9.6% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADP coalition 113 (including ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other 10), FDR coalition 15 (including RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme |
| Political parties and leaders: | African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO, secretary general]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December 2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE]; Convergence 2007 [Soumeylou Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Alliance for Democratic Change or ACD; Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Terrence P. MCCULLEY embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako telephone: [223] 270-2300 FAX: [223] 270-2479 |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
Economy
| Economy - overview: | Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2006. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $14.77 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $5.847 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 5.1% (2006 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.) |
| Labor force: | 3.93 million (2001 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 14.6% (2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 64% (2001 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.2% (2001) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 40.1 (2001) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4.5% (2002 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $764 million expenditures: $828 million (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats |
| Industries: | food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 444 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 412.9 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2005) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 4,300 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006) |
| Exports: | $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | cotton, gold, livestock |
| Exports - partners: | China 35.2%, Thailand 9.3%, Taiwan 6.5%, Bangladesh 5.3%, Australia 5% (2006) |
| Imports: | $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles |
| Imports - partners: | France 12.8%, Senegal 12.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.4% (2006) |
| Debt - external: | $2.8 billion (2002) |
| Economic aid - recipient: | $691.5 million (2005) |
| Currency (code): | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
| Exchange rates: | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
Transportation
| Airports: | 29 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 8 (2007) |
| Railways: | total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
| Roadways: | total: 18,709 km paved: 3,368 km unpaved: 15,341 km (2004) |
| Waterways: | 1,800 km (2007) |
| Ports and terminals: | Koulikoro |
Military
| Military branches: | Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2007) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 2,094,432 females age 18-49: 2,027,352 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,244,176 females age 18-49: 1,226,226 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.9% (2006) |
Transnational Issues
| Disputes - international: | none |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 6,165 (Mauritania) (2006) |
National Anthem:
National Anthem of: Mali
A ton appel Mali
Pour ta prospérité
Fidèle à ton destin
Nous serons tous unis
Un peuple, un but, une foi
Pour une Afrique unie
Si l'énemie découvre son front
Au dedans ou au dehors
Debout sur les remparts
Nous sommes resolus de mourir
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre combat sera unité
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui
Ô Mali de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance
Les coeurs vibrent de confiance
L'Afrique se lève enfin
Saluons ce jour nouveau
Saluons la liberté
Marchons vers l'unité
Dignité retrouvé
Soutient notre combat
Fidèle à notre serment
De faire l'Afrique unie
Ensemble debout mes frères
Tous au rendez-vous de l'honneur
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre combat sera unité
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui
Ô Mali de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance
Les coeurs vibrent de confiance
Debout villes et campagnes
Debout femmes, jeunes et vieux
Pour la patrie en marche
Vers l'avenir radieux
Pour notre dignité
Renforçons bien nos rangs
Pour le salut public
Forgeons le bien commun
Ensemble au coude à coude
Faisons le sentier du bonheur
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre combat sera unité
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui
Ô Mali de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance
Les coeurs vibrent de confiance
La voie est dure très dure
Qui mène au bonheur commun
Courage et devouement
Vigilence à tout moment
Vérité des temps anciens
Vérité de tous les jours
Le bonheur par le labeur
Fera le Mali de demain
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre combat sera unité
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui
Ô Mali de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance
Les coeurs vibrent de confiance
Wikipedia:
Mali
| République du Mali
Republic of Mali
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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"Un peuple, un but, une foi" "One people, one goal, one faith" |
||||||
| Anthem Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali "For Africa and for you, Mali" |
||||||
|
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Bamako |
|||||
| Official languages | French | |||||
| Demonym | Malian | |||||
| Government | semi-presidential republic | |||||
| - | President | Amadou Toumani Touré | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Modibo Sidibé | ||||
| Independence | from France | |||||
| - | Declared | September 22 1960 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | sq mi |
||||
| - | Water (%) | 1.6 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | July 2005 estimate | 13,518,000 (65th) | ||||
| - | Density | 11/km² (207th) /sq mi |
||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $14.400 billion (125th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $1,154 (166th) | ||||
| HDI (2004) | 
0.338 (low) (175th) |
|||||
| Currency | CFA franc (XOF) |
|||||
| Internet TLD | .ml | |||||
| Calling code | [[+223]] | |||||
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (French: République du
Mali), is a landlocked nation in Western
Africa. It is the seventh largest country in Africa. It borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east,
History
The Mandé peoples settled the Sahel (including present-day
Mali), and formed a succession of Sahelian kingdoms, including the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire.
Mali was invaded by France starting in 1880, which organized it as an overseas territory. The colony, which at times also included neighbouring countries, was known as French Sudan or the Sudanese Republic. In early 1959, the union of Mali and Senegal became the Mali Federation, which gained independence from France on June 20, 1960. Senegal withdrew from the Mali Federation after a few months. The Republic of Mali, under Modibo Keïta, withdrew from the French Community on September 22, 1960.
Modibo Keita was deposed and imprisoned in a coup in 1968. Mali was then ruled by Moussa Traoré until 1991. Anti-government protests in 1991 led to a coup, a transitional government, and a new constitution. In 1992, Alpha Oumar Konaré won Mali's first democratic, multi-party presidential election. Upon his reelection in 1997, President Konaré pushed through political and economic reforms and fought corruption. In 2002 he was succeeded in democratic elections by Amadou Toumani Touré, a retired General, who had been the leader of the military aspect of 1991 democratic uprising. Today, Mali is one of the most politically and socially stable countries in Africa.
Regions and cercles
Mali is divided into 8 regions (régions) and 1 district, and subdivided into 49 cercles, totalling 288 arrondissements.
The regions and district are:
- Gao
- Kayes
- Kidal
- Koulikoro
- Mopti
- Ségou
- Sikasso
- Tombouctou (Timbuktu)
- Bamako (capital district)
See also:
Geography
At 478,734 mi² (1,240,000 km²), Mali is the world's 24th-largest country. It is comparable in size to South Africa, and is nearly twice the size of the US state of Texas.
Mali is landlocked and has a subtropical to arid climate. It is mostly flat, rising to rolling northern plains covered by sand, with savanna around the Niger River in the south. The Adrar des Ifoghas lies in the northeast. Most of the country lies in the Sahara, which produces a hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons and leads to recurring droughts. The nation has considerable natural resources, with gold, uranium, phosphates, kaolinite, salt and limestone being most widely exploited.
Economy
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Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert, and several prolonged periods of drought occurring there over the last century. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Pottery is also practiced by women whose wares are bought by dealers and are transported to markets where they are sold by traders. The traditional methods used by the potters are an attraction to foreign tourists. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export. In 1997, the government continued its implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program. Several multinational corporations increased gold mining operations in 1996-1998, and the government anticipates that Mali will become a major Sub-Saharan gold exporter in the next few years.
Demographics
Ethnic groups Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul (Fula/Fulani) 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
Religions Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Culture
Approximately 90% of Malians follow Sunni Islam, but not always to the exclusion of traditional religious beliefs and practices. Muslims have their own educational systems, leading in some cases to the equivalent of baccalaureate and doctoral studies. An increasingly large number of Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca and study in Arab countries. Christians comprise about 1% of the population, although under French colonial rule the introduction of missionaries into predominantly Islamic areas was encouraged.
Literacy in French, the colonial language, is low and is concentrated in the urban areas. However, about 60% of the population is literate, although not necessarily in French: many are literate in Bamanakan (the largest spoken language), which has its own alphabet known as N'Ko. Others are also literate in Arabic, having attended Koranic school. One of the oldest universities in the world--Sankore, in Timbuktu--dates to the 1400's.
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Mali
- Foreign relations of Mali
- List of Mali-related topics
- Military of Mali
- Politics of Mali
- Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006: Rank 35 out of 168 countries (4 way tie with Australia, Bulgaria, and France)
- Scouting in Mali
- Transportation in Mali
- Media of Mali
See also
External links
Government
- The Embassy of Mali in Washington DC government information and links
News
- afribone
- allAfrica.com - Mali news headlines
- africatime - Mali
- maliweb
Overviews
- BBC News Country Profile - Mali
- CIA World Factbook - Mali
- United Nations Human Rights - Mali dating from 1997
- Mali Folkecenter - Mali from an organisation aiming to promote the sustainable management of natural resources
Directories
- Open Directory Project - Mali directory category
- Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Mali directory category
- The Index on Africa - Mali directory category
- University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Mali directory category
- Yahoo! - Mali directory category
- Companies directory - Mali directory category
Literature
Tourism
- Mali travel guide from Wikitravel
- official tourism site
- Mali travel guide
- Local Mali Guide Services
- Budapest-Bamako, Great African Run
- Niger Currents: Exploring life and technology along the Niger River
- Mali's photo gallery
- Faces of Mali photo gallery
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