Mali

Airports

total: 33 usable: 27 with permanent-surface runways: 8 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 11

Highways

total: 15,700 km paved: 1,670 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 3,670 km; unimproved earth 10,360 km

Inland waterways

1,815 km navigable

Railroads

642 km 1.000-meter gauge; linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes

Telecommunications

domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service with radio relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of radio relay in progress; 11,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT

Branches

Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $41 million, 2% of GDP (1989)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,803,301; fit for military service 1,027,780

Agriculture

accounts for 50% of GDP; most production based on small subsistence farms; cotton and livestock products account for over 70% of exports; other crops - millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats

Budget

revenues: $376 million expenditures: $697 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $349 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.02 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $92 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $190 million

Electricity

capacity: 260,000 kW production: 750 million kWh consumption per capita: 90 kWh (1991)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

$330 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: cotton, livestock, gold partners: mostly franc zone and Western Europe

External debt

$2.6 billion (1991 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$682 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, construction materials, petroleum, textiles partners: mostly franc zone and Western Europe

Industrial production

growth rate -1.4% (1992 est.); accounts for 13.0% of GDP

Industries

small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate, gold, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - 5.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$650 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-6.1% (1992 est.)

Overview

Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. In consultation with international lending agencies, the government has adopted a structural adjustment program for 1992-95, aiming at GDP annual growth of 4.6%, inflation of no more than 2.5% on average, and a substantial reduction in the external current account deficit.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 1.24 million sq km land area: 1.22 million sq km comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water; poaching natural hazards: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts international agreements: party to - Law of the Sea, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban

International disputes

the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

Irrigated land

50 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 7,243 km, Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km

Land use

arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 25% forest and woodland: 7% other: 66%

Location

Western Africa, between Mauritania and Niger

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

Note

landlocked

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast

Administrative divisions

8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou

Capital

Bamako

Constitution

new constitution adopted in constitutional referendum in 12 January 1992

Digraph

ML

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Siragatou Ibrahim CISSE chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 332-2249 or 939-8950

Executive branch

chief of state: President Alpha Oumar KONARE (since 8 June 1992); election last held in April 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); Alpha KONARE was elected in runoff race against Montaga TALL head of government: Prime Minister Ibrahima Boubacar KEITA (since March 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

FAX

[223] 228059

Flag

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Independence

22 September 1960 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Mali conventional short form: Mali local long form: Republique de Mali local short form: Mali former: French Sudan

National Assembly

elections last held on 8 March 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (total 116) Adema 76, CNID 9, US/RAD 8, Popular Movement for the Development of the Republic of West Africa 6, RDP 4, UDD 4, RDT 3, UFDP 3, PDP 2, UMDD 1

National holiday

Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 22 September (1960)

Political parties and leaders

Association for Democracy (Adema), Alpha Oumar KONARE; National Congress for Democratic Initiative (CNID), Mountaga TALL; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally (US/RDA), Mamadou Madeira KEITA; Popular Movement for the Development of the Republic of West Africa; Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Almamy SYLLA; Union for Democracy and Development (UDD), Moussa Balla COULIBALY; Rally for Democracy and Labor (RDT); Union of Democratic Forces for Progress (UFDP), Dembo DIALLO; Party for Democracy and Progress (PDP), Idrissa TRAORE; Malian Union for Democracy and Development (UMDD)

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador William H. DAMERON III embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V., Bamako mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako telephone: [223] 225470

Birth rate

51.79 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

20.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%

Infant mortality rate

106.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

2.666 million (1986 est.) by occupation: agriculture 80%, services 19%, industry and commerce 1% (1981) note: 50% of population of working age (1985)

Languages

French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 45.91 years male: 44.29 years female: 47.57 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 17% male: 26% female: 9%

Nationality

noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian

Net migration rate

-3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

9,112,950 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.78% (1994 est.)

Religions

Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

Total fertility rate

7.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)