Mali

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.

Geography Mali

Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references: Africa

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

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

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: not exploited

Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 0% other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,380 sq km (1998 est.)

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, 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

People Mali

Population: 11,340,480 (July 2002 est.)

Age structur