Background: The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali.

Land boundaries: 7,243 km total; Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Ivory Coast 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km

Coastline: none - 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

Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium; bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 25% meadows and pastures; 7% forest and woodland; 66% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Geography
Note: landlocked

Population: 8,918,448 (July 1989), growth rate 2.9% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Malian(s; adjective - Malian

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

Languages: French (official; Bambara spoken by about 80% of the population

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

Birth rate: 49 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 20 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Environment
Current issues: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; desertification; recent droughts affecting marginal agriculture

Infant mortality rate: 151 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 47 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1989)

Literacy: 10%

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mali

Government type: republic; single-party constitutional government

Capital: Bamako

Administrative divisions: 7 regions (regions, singular - region; Gao, Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou; note - there may be a new capital district of Bamako

Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France; formerly French Sudan)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 22 September (1960)

Constitution: 2 June 1974, effective 19 June 1979

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Section of Court of State; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: universal over age 21

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government - President Gen. Moussa TRAORE (since 6 December 1968)

Legislative branch: Army, Air Force; paramilitary, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard

International organization participation: AfDB, APC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB - Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OIC, OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Nouhoum SAMASSEKOU; Chancery at 2,130 R Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 332-2,249 or 939-8,950; US - Ambassador Robert M. PRINGLE; Embassy at Rue Testard and Rue Mohamed V., Bamako (mailing address is B. P. 34, Bamako; telephone 225,834

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

Economy overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 80% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities.

Agriculture products: millet, sorghum, rice, corn, peanuts; cash crops - peanuts, cotton, livestock

Industries: small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate, gold, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $154 million; expenditures $169 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1982)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $260 million (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: livestock, peanuts, dried fish, cotton, skins
Partners: mostly franc zone and Western Europe

Imports: $493 million (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: textiles, vehicles, petroleum products, machinery, sugar, cereals
Partners: mostly franc zone and Western Europe

Debt external: $2.1 billion (December 1988 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 312.52 (January 1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

Electricity
Capacity: 92,000 kW capacity; 165 million kWh produced, 20 kWh per capita (1988)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $47.2 million, 18% of central government budget (1987)

Airports: 38 total, 30 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Waterways: 1,815 km navigable

Disputes international: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are beginning to demarcate the boundary, including the tripoint with Niger