Mali – country information

Country name	Mali
Official name	Republic of Mali
Capital	Bamako
continent	Africa
Area	1,240,190 km
Population	15 302 000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	22. 9. 1960
The highest mountains	Hombori Tondo 1155 m
Longest rivers	Niger 4,160 km (v. 1,600 km)
State system	a republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Bamako (capital) 790,000, Ségou 125,000
Official language	French
Ethnicity/National Composition	Bambara 31.9%, Fulba 13.9%, Senuf 12%, Soninka 8.8%, Tuareg 7.3%, Songhai 7.2%, Malinka 6.6%, Dogon 4%, Dyul 2.9%, Bobs 2.4%, Arabs 1.2%, others 1.8%
Religious affiliation	Sunni Muslims 90%, traditional faiths 9%, Christians 1%
Currency	1 CFA franc (XOF) = 100 centimes
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$1,088 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	49.00 let (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 45%, mining 1.5%, industry 8.5%, construction 4%, services 41%

Mali – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Algeria	Algiers	2,381,740 km	38 700 000
Burkina	Ouagadougou	274,000 km	17 322 796
Guinea	Conakry	245,857 km	10 824 200
Mauritania	Nouakchott	1,025,520 km	3 461 041
Niger	Niamey	1,267,000 km	17 129 076
Ivory Coast	Yamoussoukro	322,463 km2	23 202 000
Senegal	Dakar	196,722 km	13 567 338

Country overview

The landlocked Republic of Mali is located in the Sahel region of northwest Africa on the edge of the Sahara.

According to Abbreviationfinder, Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. Common borders with Senegal in the west, with Mauritania, Algeria in the north, with Niger in the east, with Burkina Faso in the southeast, with Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea in the south.

Capital of Bamako. Currency – CFA Franc BCEAO. The official language is French. Religion – Islam.

Mali is located in the tropical and subequatorial belts, in the zones of deserts, semi-deserts, savannahs and light forests. 90% of the country is flat.

The climate is tropical desert and subequatorial. The average temperature all year is +28*С.

Rest is what every person needs, especially those who are engaged in creative work. Holidays in Mali will fill your inner world with new impressions that will excite your imagination for a long time, popping up in your memory with bright colorful pictures.

Resorts and attractions in Mali

In tourist guides, this country is called the jewel in the crown of West Africa, but for most of us, Mali is a real mystery!

Mali is a country for those who like exotic but friendly countries. Incredible and grandiose monuments of antiquity, evidence of a once powerful empire. All this can be seen in Mali.

Interesting facts

The territory of modern Mali was inhabited by peoples several millennia ago.

Over the past 40 years, there have been 4 coups d’état in the country.

Country data

Location: West Africa

Time zone: CET – 1 (during summer time: CET – 2)

Total area: 1,240,192 km²

Land area: 1,220,190 km²

Water area: 20,002 km²

Length of the state border: 7,243 km

Bordering countries:
Algeria: 1,376 km
Burkina Faso: 1,000 km
Ivory Coast / Côte d’Ivoire: 532 km
Guinea: 858 km
Mauritania: 2,237 km
Niger: 821 km
Senegal: 419 km

Coastline: 0 km

Capital: Bamako

Regions: 9
District de Bamako, Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 223 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

Population

Population: approx. 16.5 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 3% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 13

Life expectancy: 53 (male), 57 (female)

Official language: French

Religions:

• 94% Muslim
• 2% Christians
• 4% other

Climate

The climate in Malawi is divided into three climatic periods:

• Cold dry season: October – February
• Hot dry season: March – May
• Rainy season: May – October

Currency / finance

Currency unit: CFA franc (CFA francs)

ATMs: not available

International credit cards: These are only accepted by very large hotels or shops in the capital.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. However, the import must be declared. The export is limited to the amount of the declared import.

The import and export of the local currency is limited to 25,000 CFA Francs. However, exchanges in other currencies are not possible outside of the countries in the CFA franc zone.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 1,000 cigarettes or 250 cigars or 2,000 g tobacco
• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

All valuable items, even small electronic devices (razors, hair dryers) should be declared upon entry, otherwise problems often arise when leaving the country.

Travel advice

You are warned against traveling to the whole area north of the 14th parallel.

Although the general situation in Mali is good, raids on tourists are frequent throughout the northern region of the country. Since the perpetrators are almost always heavily armed, the region should be avoided widely.

In the Sikasso region, the border area with the Ivory Coast / Côte d’Ivoire, special caution is required due to its location.

There is also an increased security risk in the regions on the border with Algeria.

Behavioral advice

It is forbidden to take photographs of military installations and people and of the Markala Dam.

You shouldn’t go for walks after dark.

Economy

Agriculture is Mali’s only notable branch of the economy, although only around 2% of the country’s area is usable.

The cultivation of millet and maize, as well as cattle breeding is carried out for the self-sufficiency of the population.

Industries: mining, agriculture, food production

Natural resources: gold, phosphates, salt, uranium, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 2%
• Grain cultivation: 0%
• Pasture area: 25%
• Forests: 6%
• other: 67%

Plants

Almost all of the country’s flora and fauna are concentrated in the south of the country.

Here the great Niger River with its tributaries provides the basis that plants and animals need to live.

Animals

Antelopes, hyenas, lions, jackals and many different small animals typical of Africa live in the specially established national park.