Mali Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 26, 2020

Mali, State of West Africa; 1.2 million km², 19.1 million residents (2019).Mali borders Algeria in the northeast, Niger in the east, Burkina Faso in the southeast, Ivory Coast in the south, Guinea in the southwest and Senegal and Mauritania in the west. The capital is Bamako (1.8 million residents, 2010).

Country facts

Republic of Mali / Republic of Mali
Country abbreviation: ML
Area: 1.2 million km²
Population (2019): 19.1 million residents
Capital: Bamako
Main languages: French, Bamboo
State: Republic
Head of State: Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (President)
Head of Government: Boubou Cissé
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 901
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 830
Currency unit: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes
Currency code: XOF
Country number (telephony): 223
Internet Domain Name: ml
Time difference compared to Sweden: −1
National Day: September 22 (Proclamation of the Republic, 1960)

Nature

Land use: forest (6%), agricultural land (4%), other (mainly desert, 90%)
Highest mountain: Hombori Tondo (1,155 m above sea level)

Population

Population density (2019): 16 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 3.6%; birth number 46 ‰, death number 10 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (48%), 15-64 (49%), 65- (3%)
Life expectancy (2019): men 58 years, women 63 years
Infant mortality (2019): 54 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 47 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.427 (place 182 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 42%
Most populous city (2010): Bamako (1.8 million residents)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (42%), industry (18%), service (40%)
Exports of goods (2017): US $ 3,060 million
Main export products: cotton, gold, cattle
Main exporting countries: Switzerland, United Arab Republic, Burkina Faso
Imports of goods (2017): US $ 3 644 million
Main import products: oil, machinery, food
Main importing countries: Senegal, China, Ivory Coast
Railway network (2014): 600 km

Northern Mali is part of the Sahara, while the southern part of the country belongs to the Sudan region. The Niger River makes a strong bend in Mali and develops a vast inland west of the Dogon Plateau. The country has a dry and hot high-pressure weather. The most precipitation gets the Sudan region in the south.

According to the constitution, the country has a strong presidential power and a multi-party system. The president, who holds the executive power, is elected in general elections every five years. Legislative power belongs to the National Assembly, also elected for five years. In 2012, the incumbent President, Amadou Toumani Tourés, was deposed in a military coup and power handed over to the President of Parliament to announce new elections. The reason for the military coup was the military’s dissatisfaction with how the government handled the conflict with the Tuareg governments in Mali. The country became independent in 1960.

The economy is traditionally highly agricultural oriented, but during the 2000s gold became the country’s most important export commodity. Mali’s industrial sector is a little developed, and the country is heavily indebted and dependent on loans from abroad. During the 1990s, the tourism industry grew, but as a result of the unrest in northern Mali, the industry has stagnated.