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. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 with a transitional government and in 1992 when Mali's first democratic presidential election was held. After his reelection in 1997 President Alpha KONARE continued to push through political and economic reforms and to fight corruption. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE.

Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N 4 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1.24 million km²
Water: 20,000 km²
Land: 1.22 million 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: 3.77%
Permanent crops: 0.04%
Other: 96.19% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1380 km² (1998 est.)

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

Population: 11,340,480 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 2.97% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 64% average; 30% of the total population living in urban areas; 76% of the total population living in rural areas) (2001 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% indigenous beliefs 9% Christian 1%

Age structure
0-14 years: 47.2% (male 2,687,998; female 2,658,605)
15-64 years: 49.8% (male 2,698,789; female 2,950,276)
65 years and over: 3% (male 160,604; female 184,208) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.97% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 48.37 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 18.32 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 119.63 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 47.39 years
Female: 48.64 years (2002 est.)
Male: 46.18 years

Total fertility rate: 6.73 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 140,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 9,900 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 38%
Male: 45%
Female: 31% (1998 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Mali
Conventional short form: Mali
Local short form: Mali
Former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
Local long form: Republique de Mali

Government type: republic

Capital: Bamako

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 (which was formally established on 9 March 1994); 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 Ahmed Mohamed Ag HAMANI (since 9 June 2002)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (two-term limit); election last held 12 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE elected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%, Soumaila CISSE 35.6%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 14 July and 28 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda Traore KEITA party chairman]; Block of Alternative for the Renewal of Africa or BARA [Yoro DIAKITE]; Democratic and Social Convention or CDS [Mamadou Bakary SANGARE chairman]; Movement for the Independence Renaissance and Integration of Africa or MIRIA [Mohamed Lamine TRAORE Mouhamedou DICKO]; National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL chairman]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Yoro DIAKITE chairman; Tiebile DRAME secretary general]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Ali GNANGADO]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Almamy SYLLA chairman]; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Bonbasor KEITA chairman]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE secretary general]; Union of Democratic Forces for Progress or UFDP [Youssouf TOURE secretary general]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM ISO (subscriber) ITU MIPONUH NAM OAU OIC OPCW UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WADB (regional) WAEMU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cheick Oumar DIARRAH
In the us fax: [1] (202) 332-6,603
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-2,249, 939-8,950
In the us chancery: 2,130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Vicki HUDDLESTONE
From the us embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako
From the us mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako
From the us telephone: [223] (2) 223-833
From the us fax: [223] (2) 223-712

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 65% 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 is nomadic and some 70% 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. In 1997 the government 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 African franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2000. In 2001 GDP decreased by 1.2% mainly due to a 50% drop in cotton production in 2000-01.

Real gdp growth rate: -1.2% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $840 (2001 est.)

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: 3.93 million (2001 est.)
By occupation: agriculture and fishing 80% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.6% urban areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: 64% average; 30% of the total population living in urban areas; 76% of the total population living in rural areas) (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 40% (1994) (1994)

Distribution of family income gini index: 51 (1994)

Budget
Revenues: $764 million
Expenditures: $828 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.5% (2001 est.)

Exports: $575 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Commodities: cotton 43% gold 40% livestock (2001 est.)
Partners: Brazil 10.6% South Korea 9.9% Italy 7.3% Canada 7% (2000)

Imports: $600 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment construction materials petroleum foodstuffs textiles
Partners: Cote d'Ivoire 21% France 12.4% Senegal 4% Germany 4% Benelux (2000)

Debt external: $3.3 billion (2000)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002) 733.04 (2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999 the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro

Electricity
Production: 462 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 43%
Production by source hydro: 57%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 429.66 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 45,000 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 40,000 (2001)

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service
Domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .ml
Service providers isps: 13 (2001)
Users: 30,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $50 million (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 2% (FY01)

Airports: 27 (2001)
With paved runways total: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 19
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8 (2002)

Railways
Total: 729 km
Narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge
Note: linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes (2001)

Waterways: 1815 km

Disputes international: none