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Travel to Mali — Unbiased reviews and great deals
from TripAdvisorMali
| Republic of Mali National
name: République de Mali President:
Amadou Toumani Touré (2002) Prime
Minister: Modibo Sidibé (2007)
Current government officials
Land area: 471,042 sq mi (1,219,999 sq
km); total area: 478,767 sq mi (1,240,000 sq km) Population (2007 est.): 11,995,402 (growth
rate: 2.7%); birth rate: 49.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 105.7/1000;
life expectancy: 49.5; density per sq mi: 25
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Bamako, 1,323,200 (metro. area), 935,400 Monetary unit: CFA Franc
Languages:
French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African
languages
Ethnicity/race:
Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul
17%, Voltaic 12%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, Songhai 6%, other 5%
Religions:
Islam 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian
1% Literacy rate: 46% (2003
est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP
(2007 est.): $13.47 billion; per capita $1,000. Real growth
rate: 2.5%. Inflation: 2.5%. Unemployment: 30%
(2004 est.). Arable land: 4%. Agriculture: cotton,
millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats.
Labor force: 3.93 million (2001 est.); agriculture and fishing
80%, industry and services 20% (2001 est.). Industries: food
processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining. Natural
resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium,
hydropower; note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper
deposits are known but not exploited. Exports: $323 million
f.o.b. (2004 est.): cotton, gold, livestock. Imports: $1.858
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.): petroleum, machinery and equipment,
construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles. Major trading
partners: China, Pakistan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, India,
Bangladesh, France, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire (2004). Communications: Telephones: main lines in
use: 45,000 (2000); mobile cellular: 40,000 (2001). 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). Internet users: 30,000
(2002). Transportation: Railways:
total: 729 km (2002). Highways: total: 15,100 km; paved: 1,827
km; unpaved: 13,273 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 1,815 km.
Ports and harbors: Koulikoro. Airports: 26 (2002. International disputes: armed bandits based
in Mali attack southern Algerian towns.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Most of Mali, in West Africa, lies in the Sahara. A landlocked country
four-fifths the size of Alaska, it is bordered by Guinea, Senegal,
Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and the Côte d'Ivoire. The only
fertile area is in the south, where the Niger and Senegal rivers provide
irrigation.
Government
Republic.
History
Caravan routes have passed through Mali since A.D. 300. The Malinke empire ruled regions of Mali
from the 12th to the 16th century, and the Songhai empire reigned over the
Timbuktu-Gao region in the 15th century. Morocco conquered Timbuktu in
1591 and ruled over it for two centuries. Subjugated by France by the end
of the 19th century, the land became a colony in 1904 (named French Sudan
in 1920) and in 1946 became part of the French Union. On June 20, 1960, it
became independent and, under the name of Sudanese Republic, was joined
with the Republic of Senegal in the Mali federation. However, Senegal
seceded from the federation on Aug. 20, 1960, and the Sudanese Republic
then changed its name to the Republic of Mali on Sept. 22.
In the 1960s, Mali concentrated on economic development, continuing to
accept aid from both Soviet bloc and Western nations, as well as
international agencies. In the late 1960s, it began retreating from close
ties with China. But a purge of conservative opponents brought greater
power to President Modibo Keita, and in 1968, the influence of the Chinese
and their Malian sympathizers increased. The army overthrew the government
on Nov. 19, 1968 and brought Mali under military rule for the next 20
years. Mali and Burkina Faso fought a brief border war from Dec. 25 to 29,
1985. In 1991, dictator Moussa Traoré was overthrown, and Mali made a
peaceful transition to democracy. In 1992, Alpha Konaré became Mali's
first democratically elected president.
In the early 1990s, the government fought against rebellions by the
Tuaregs, nomads of Berber and Arab descent who inhabit the northern desert
regions of Mali and have little in common with Mali's black African
majority. The Tuaregs accused the government of marginalizing them
politically and culturally. A peace agreement was signed in 1995, and
thousands of Tuareg refugees returned to the country.
Mali's second multiparty national elections took place in May 1997,
with President Konaré winning reelection.
Konaré won international praise for his efforts to revive Mali's
faltering economy. His adherence to International Monetary Fund guidelines
increased foreign investment and helped make Mali the second-largest
cotton producer in Africa. Konaré was also the chairman of the 15-nation
ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States), which in recent
years has concentrated on brokering peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and
Guinea. Konaré retired after serving the two five-year terms permitted by
the constitution.
In June 2002, Amadou Toumani Touré was elected president. A highly
popular and respected public figure, he engineered the 1991 coup that
freed the country from military rule. In 2004, he appointed Ousmane
Issoufi Maïga as the new prime minister.
In 2005 a severe locust infestation and drought threatened about 10% of
the population with starvation.
In June 2006, the government signed a peace treaty ending a Tuareg
rebellion earlier in the year. The president has promised a significant
development and anti-poverty program for the Tuaregs.
Touré was reelected in April 2007, winning 68.3% of the vote. His
opponent, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, took 18.6%. In September, Prime Minister
Ousmane Issoufi Maïga resigned, and Modibo Sidibé succeeded him.
See also Encyclopedia: Mali.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Mali
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education,
Inc. All rights reserved.
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