Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

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. Since his reelection in 1997, President KONARE continued to push through political and economic reforms and to fight corruption. In 1999 he indicated he would not run for a third term, in keeping with the Malian constitution's two-term limit.

Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N, 4 00 W

Area:
total : 1.24 million sq km
land: 1.22 million sq km
water: 20,000 sq km

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, hydropower
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: 780 sq km (1993 est.); 1,380 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban

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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People

Population: 10,685,948 (July 2000 est.); 11,340,480 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
-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: 2.98% (2000 est.); 2.97% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 49.23 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 48.37 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 19.1 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 18.32 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.); -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years : 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 123.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 119.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.66 years (2000 est.); 47.39 years (2002 est.)
male: 45.5 years (2000 est.); 46.18 years (2002 est.)
female : 47.85 years (2000 est.); 48.64 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.89 children born/woman (2000 est.); 6.73 children born/woman (2002 est.)

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%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38%
male: 45%
female: 31% (1998 est.)

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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

National 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: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 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 Modibo KEITA (since 18 March 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: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 July and 3 August 1997 (next to be held NA July 2002); note - much of the opposition boycotted the election
election results: NA%; seats by party - ADEMA 95, RPM 35, PARENA 8, CDS 4, UDD 3, PDP 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (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

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

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Economy

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.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.5 billion (1999 est.); $9.2 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - 5% (1999 est.); -1.2% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $820 (1999 est.); $840 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 17%
services: 18% (2001)

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%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 40.4% (1994)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 3% (1999 est.); 4.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
total: 3.93 million (2001 est.)
by occupation: agriculture and fishing 80% (1998 est.); agriculture and fishing 80% (2001 est.)

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

Budget:
revenues : $730 million (1997 est.); $764 million (2002 est.)
expenditures: $770 million, including capital expenditures of $320 million (1997 est.); $828 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

Industries: minor local consumer goods production and food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Industrial production growth rate: 0.6% (1995 est.)

Electricity - production: 310 million kWh (1998); 462 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source:
ossil fuel: 43.29%
hydro: 56.71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2000)

Electricity - consumption: 288 million kWh (1998); 429.66 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats

Exports:
total value: $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:
total value : $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)

Economic aid:
recipient: $596.4 million (2001)

Currency: 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 - 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

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: 45,000 (2000)

Telephones - 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001)

Radios: 570,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus repeaters) (2001)

Televisions: 45,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2001)

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Transportation

Railways: total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge note: linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes (2001)

Highways:
total: 15,100 km
paved: 1,827 km
unpaved: 13,273 km (1996)

Waterways: 1,815 km

Ports and harbors: Koulikoro

Airports: 27 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total : 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 2 (2002.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 9 (2000)

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Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,369,578 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 1,358,646 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $50 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY01)

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