Mali

Republic of MaliRepublique de Mali

republicIndependence 22 September 1960 (from France)

Mali as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBamako, UTC
Position17 00 N, 4 00 W
Area1.24 million sq km
LocationWestern Africa, southwest of Algeria
Populationas each edition published it
11.72 million July 2006 est. · 8.14m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.63% 2006 est. · 2.66% in 1993
Median ageyears
15.8 years 2006 est. · 16.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
49 years 2006 est. · 45.45 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
7.42 children per woman 2006 est. · 7.1 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
107.58 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 116 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,200 2005 est. · $265 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
6.1% 2005 est. · -0.2% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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 coup that ushered in democratic government. 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.

Geography

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

18 fields

Land use(2005)

arable land 3.76%permanent crops 0.03%other 96.21% (2005)irrigated 2,360 sq km (2003)
Area
1.24million sq km
land: 1.22 million sq kmwater: 20,000 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of Texas
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
1,155m
Hombori Tondolowest point: Senegal River 23 m
Land boundaries
7,243km
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

Location

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Geographic coordinates

17 00 N, 4 00 W

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

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
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

People

20 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

146,458
65 and over3%
210,754
2,804,344
15-6448.8%
2,910,097
2,857,670
0-1448.2%
2,787,506
MaleFemale
Population
11,716,829
(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 2.63% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth
49.82Death
16.89Net migration
-6.6

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)49
47.05 · 51.01Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)107.58
117.32 · 97.54
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)46.4%
53.5% · 39.6%Median age years (2006 est.)15.8
15.4 · 16.3
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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%

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

7.42 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

12,000 (2003 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 is a high risk in some locations
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis (2005)

Nationality

noun:
Malian(s)
adjective:
Malian

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002); Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi MAIGA (since 30 April 2004)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

64.4%
Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%Soumaila CISSE 35.6%election last held 12 May 2002 (next to be held April 2007)

National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, 147 seats, elected 14 and 28 July 2002one dot, one seat

Hope 2002 coalition 66ADEMA 51other 30

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

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002)
head of government:
Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi MAIGA (since 30 April 2004)
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 12 May 2002 (next to be held April 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 14 and 28 July 2002 (next to be held 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, party chairman];
  • Hope 2002 (a coalition of CNID, MPR, RDT, and RPM);
  • 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 [Tiebile DRAME, secretary general];
  • Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA];
  • Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT;
  • Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, chairman];
  • Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE, secretary general];
  • Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY];
  • Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, 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 Terrence P. MCCULLEY
embassy:
Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako
mailing address:
B. P. 34, Bamako
telephone:
[223] 222-5470
FAX:
[223] 222-3712

Flag description

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

Economy

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.

38 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$13.61billion
(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $5.434 billion (2005 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,200
(2005 est.)
Real growth rate
6.1%
(2005 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

GDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)

agriculture 45%industry 17%services 38% (2001 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

25.2%
China
France
13.1%
Senegal
13.1%
12.8%
Pakistan
8.7%
Thailand
Cote d'Ivoire
8.5%
6.7%
Taiwan
4.5%
Italy
Exports $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)Imports $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues
$764 millionExpenditures
$828 million (2002 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

Electricity production
820 million (2003)Electricity consumption
762.6 million (2003)

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 sturdy 5% average in 1996-2005. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

Labor force

3.93 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
80%
industry and services:
20% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate

14.6% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Agriculture - products

cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries

  • food processing;
  • construction;
  • phosphate and gold mining

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

4,250 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Exports

$323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

cotton, gold, livestock

Imports

$1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles

Debt - external

$2.8 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient

$472.1 million (2002)

Currency (code)

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 - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
869,600
(2005)
Fixed lines
75,000
(2005) · country code .ml

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:
country code - 223; 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)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus repeaters) (2001)

Internet users

60,000 (2005)

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

4
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
4
1,524 to 2,437 m
5
1
914 to 1,523 m
6
under 914 m
8
Paved 9Unpaved 20

Networkskm

Roadways
15,100Railways
729Waterways
1,815 (2005)
Roadways: paved: 1,827 km · unpaved: 13,273 km (1999) · Railways: narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Airports

29 (2006)

Railways

total:
729 km
narrow gauge:
729 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways

total:
15,100 km
paved:
1,827 km
unpaved:
13,273 km (1999)

Military

Army, Air Force, National Guard

5 fields

Military branches

Army, Air Force, National Guard

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49:
2,094,432
females age 18-49:
2,027,352 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:
1,244,176
females age 18-49:
1,226,226 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 6,185 (Mauritania) (2005)

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Mali.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mali/2006.