Map of Mali | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the continent. 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 who was subsequently elected to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair.


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Location: Western Africa southwest of Algeria

Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N 4 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1.24 million km²
Land: 1.22 million km²
Water: 20,000 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 7,243 km
Border countries: (7) 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
Extremes highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

Natural resources
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 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 100 km³ (2001)

Natural hazards: hot dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding

Geography
Note: landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern cultivated Sudanese; the central semiarid Sahelian; and the northern arid Saharan


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Population: 12,324,029 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 2.725% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Malian
Adjective: Malian

Ethnic groups: Mande 50% (Bambara Malinke Soninke) Peul 17% Voltaic 12% Songhai 6% Tuareg and Moor 10% other 5%

Languages: French (official) Bambara 80% numerous African languages

Religions: Muslim 90% Christian 1% indigenous beliefs 9%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 48.2% (male 3,004,003/female 2,937,138)
15-64 years: 48.7% (male 2,976,314/female 3,028,433)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 150,597/female 227,544) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 15.8 years
Male: 15.4 years
Female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.725% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 49.38 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 16.16 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 103.83 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 113.41 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 93.97 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.94 years
Male: 48 years
Female: 51.94 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 140,000 (2003 est.)
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
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2006)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 46.4%
Male: 53.5%
Female: 39.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 7 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 5 years (2005)

Youth unemployment


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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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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 on 29 April 2007 (next to be held in April 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
Elections: last held on 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: Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region); 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]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU ECOWAS FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURCAT MONUC NAM OIC OIF OPCW UN UNAMID 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
In the us chancery: 2,130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-2,249, 939-8,950
In the us fax: [1] (202) 332-6,603
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC
From the us embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district
From the us mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako
From the us telephone: [223] 270-2,300
From the us fax: [223] 270-2,479

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) yellow and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 5% average in 1996-2007. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $13.63 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 2.8% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1100 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 45%
Industry: 17%
Services: 38% (2001 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%

Labor force: 5.4 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (2004 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

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)

Budget
Revenues: $1.5 billion
Expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $1.099 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$446 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $294 million f.o.b. (2006)
Commodities: cotton gold livestock
Partners: China 19.6% Thailand 10.5% Brazil 4.6% France 4.5% Indonesia 4.5% (2007)

Imports: $2.358 billion f.o.b. (2006)
Commodities: petroleum machinery and equipment construction materials foodstuffs textiles
Partners: France 12.9% Senegal 12.7% Cote d'Ivoire 10.9% China 4.9% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.8 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates
Note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro


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Electricity
Production: 505 million kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 469.7 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 85,000 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 2.483 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service
Domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas; mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to 20 per 100 persons
International: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ml
Hosts: 387 (2008)
Users: 100,000 (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.9% of GDP (2006)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 29 (2007)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 21
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines

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: 1800 km (2007)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Koulikoro


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

Illicit drugs