Mali
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment 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) |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
| Internet country code | .ml |
| Ports and terminals | Koulikoro |
| Agriculture products | cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats |
| Industries | food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining |
| Geography |
| Location | Western Africa, southwest of Algeria |
| Coordinates | 17 00 N, 4 00 W |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 1.24 million sq km
land: 1.22 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km |
| 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) |
| 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, gypsum, granite, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited |
| Natural hazards | hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding |
| People |
| Population | 11,716,829 (July 2006 est.) |
| 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 |
