Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
|
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.
|
|
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)
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
100 cu km (2001)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%)
per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
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
|
|
Population:
|
12,666,987 (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 48.3% (male 3,089,406/female 3,023,341)
15-64 years: 48.7% (male 3,065,167/female 3,101,914)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 151,718/female 235,441) (2009 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 15.8 years
male: 15.5 years
female: 16.2 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
2.765% (2009 est.)
|
|
Birth rate:
|
49.15 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Death rate:
|
16.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
-5.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Urbanization:
|
urban population: 32% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 102.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 111.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 92.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 50.35 years
male: 48.38 years
female: 52.38 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
7.29 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
1.5% (2007 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
100,000 (2007 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
5,800 (2007 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 (2009)
|
|
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.)
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
|
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 5 years (2005)
|
|
Education expenditures:
|
4.5% of GDP (2006)
|
|
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 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:
|
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 [Mady KONATE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Amadou Ali NIANGADOU]; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Basir GOLOGO]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]
|
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
other: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northern region; state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs
|
|
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
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 Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC
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 - 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 1996-2008. 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):
|
$14.48 billion (2008 est.)
$13.89 billion (2007)
$13.52 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$8.776 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
4.2% (2008 est.)
2.8% (2007 est.)
5.3% (2006 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$1,200 (2008 est.)
$1,200 (2007 est.)
$1,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 45%
industry: 17%
services: 38% (2001 est.)
|
|
Labor force:
|
5.4 million (2007 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
30% (2004 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)
|
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.)
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
2.5% (2007 est.)
|
|
Central bank discount rate:
|
4.25% (31 December 2007)
|
|
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
|
NA
|
|
Stock of money:
|
$1.58 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Stock of quasi money:
|
$697.1 million (31 December 2007)
|
|
Stock of domestic credit:
|
$1.099 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares:
|
$NA
|
|
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:
|
505 million kWh (2006 est.)
|
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
469.7 million kWh (2006 est.)
|
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption:
|
4,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports:
|
0 bbl/day (2006)
|
|
Oil - imports:
|
4,860 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Current account balance:
|
-$446 million (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports:
|
$294 million f.o.b. (2006)
|
|
Exports - commodities:
|
cotton, gold, livestock
|
|
Exports - 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)
|
|
Imports - commodities:
|
petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles
|
|
Imports - partners:
|
France 12.9%, Senegal 12.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.9%, China 4.9% (2007)
|
|
Debt - external:
|
$2.8 billion (2002)
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par
|
|
Airports:
|
26 (2008)
|
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2008)
|
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 7 (2008)
|
|
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 (2008)
|
|
Ports and terminals:
|
Koulikoro
|
|
Military branches:
|
Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2008)
|
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2008)
|
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 2,603,700
females age 16-49: 2,441,776 (2008 est.)
|
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 1,649,772
females age 16-49: 1,579,601 (2009 est.)
|
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
|
male: 147,846
female: 140,543 (2009 est.)
|
|
Military expenditures:
|
1.9% of GDP (2006)
|
This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
|
