Mali ( Republique de Mali) is a country in Western Africa, southwest of Algeria. Mali geographic coordinates 17 00 N, 4 00 W; area 1.22 million sq km; area comparative slightly less than twice the size of Texas; land boundaries 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; terrain mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast; elevation extremes Hombori Tondo 1,155 m; natural resources gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited; land use 96.15% (2001); irrigated land 1,380 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River; environment current issues deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching; environment international agreements 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;

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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 with a transitional government and in 1992 when Mali's first democratic presidential election was held. After his reelection in 1997, President Alpha KONARE continued to push through political and economic reforms and to fight corruption. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE. government type republic; capital Bamako; 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; legal system based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Mali population 12,291,529 (July 2005 est.); age structure 3% (male 165,867/female 197,546) (2005 est.); median age 16.92 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 2.74% (2005 est.); birth rate 46.77 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 19.05 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 123.32 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 45.51 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 6.5 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 1.9% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 140,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 12,000 (2003 est.); major infectious diseases malaria is a hi; nationality Malian; 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%; languages French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages; literacy 39.6% (2003 est.);

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