Mali

Broadcast media

national public TV broadcaster; 2 privately-owned companies provide subscription services to foreign multi-channel TV packages; national public radio broadcaster supplemented by a large number of privately-owned and community broadcast stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.ml

Internet hosts

524 (2010) country comparison to the world: 179

Internet users

249,800 (2009) country comparison to the world: 135

Telephone system

general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas domestic: fixed-line subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to nearly 30 per 100 persons international: country code - 223; satellite communications center and fiber-optic links to neighboring countries; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

81,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 148

Telephones - mobile cellular

3.742 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 107

Agriculture - products

cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 97 4.75% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA% (31 December 2009 est.) NA% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$446 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 113

Debt - external

$2.8 billion (2002) country comparison to the world: 133

Distribution of family income - Gini index

40.1 (2001) country comparison to the world: 61 50.5 (1994)

Economy - overview

Among the 25 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports for revenue. The country's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and agricultural commodity prices and the harvest. Mali remains dependent on foreign aid. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65% of its land area is desert or semidesert. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. The government has continued an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that has helped the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali is developing its cotton and iron ore extraction industries to diversify its revenue sources because gold production has started to fall. Mali has invested in tourism but security issues are hurting the industry. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a 5% average in 1996-2010. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire, however, Mali is building a road network that will connect it to all adjacent countries and it has a railway line to Senegal. In 2010, Mali experienced a regional drought that hurt livestock and livelihoods.

Electricity - consumption

479 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 162

Electricity - exports

0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

515 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 506.04 (2009), 447.81 (2008), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006) note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par

Exports

$294 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 174

Exports - commodities

cotton, gold, livestock

Exports - partners

China 14.61%, Thailand 8.28%, Pakistan 6.74%, Morocco 6.48%, Burkina Faso 4.67%, France 4.6%, India 4.45% (2009)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$9.077 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$16.74 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 $15.91 billion (2009 est.) $15.24 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,200 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 206 $1,200 (2009 est.) $1,200 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 55 4.4% (2009 est.) 5% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.5% (2006)

Imports

$2.358 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 149

Imports - commodities

petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners

Senegal 12.21%, France 11.57%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.05%, China 5.89% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

Labor force

3.241 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

Oil - consumption

6,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 194

Oil - imports

4,402 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 162

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 139

Population below poverty line

36.1% (2005 est.)

Stock of broad money

$2.514 billion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 $2.12 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$994.9 million (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 150 $1.095 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of narrow money

$1.758 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 124 $1.559 billion (31 December 2008)

Unemployment rate

30% (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 178

Area

total: 1,240,192 sq km country comparison to the world: 24 land: 1,220,190 sq km water: 20,002 sq km

Area - comparative

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)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%) per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

17 00 N, 4 00 W

Geography - note

landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan

Irrigated land

2,360 sq km (2003)

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

Land use

arable land: 3.76% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 96.21% (2005)

Location

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

100 cu km (2001)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Bamako geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted 12 January 1992

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako telephone: [223] 270-2300 FAX: [223] 270-2479

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mamadou TRAORE chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603

Executive branch

chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA 19.2%, other 9.6%

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Senegal (which has an additional green central star) and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea

Government type

republic

Independence

22 September 1960 (from France)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADP coalition 113 (ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other 10), FDR coalition 15 (RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15

National anthem

name: "Le Mali" (Mali) lyrics/music: Seydou Badian KOUYATE/Banzoumana SISSOKO note: adopted 1962; the anthem is also known as "Pour L'Afrique et pour toi, Mali" (For Africa and for You, Mali) and "A ton appel Mali" (At Your Call, Mali)

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 September (1960)

Political parties and leaders

African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO, secretary general]; Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December 2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region); Convergence 2007 [Soumeylou Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Mady KONATE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Amadou Ali NIANGADOU]; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Basir GOLOGO]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

other: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northern region; state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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 by a military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,759,648 females age 16-49: 2,894,776 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,760,901 females age 16-49: 1,900,025 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 153,198 female: 154,762 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2008)

Military expenditures

1.9% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 78

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2010)

Age structure

0-14 years: 47.6% (male 3,220,491/female 3,177,823) 15-64 years: 49.5% (male 3,241,250/female 3,406,757) 65 years and over: 3% (male 189,886/female 207,018) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

46.09 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Death rate

14.64 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Education expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 117

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 42

HIV/AIDS - deaths

5,800 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 42

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

100,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 46

Infant mortality rate

total: 113.66 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 4 male: 120.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 106.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 52.17 years country comparison to the world: 208 male: 50.59 years female: 53.8 years (2010 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2009)

Median age

total: 16.2 years male: 15.8 years female: 16.6 years (2010 est.)

Nationality

noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian

Net migration rate

-5.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 201

Population

13,796,354 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 67

Population growth rate

2.607% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 26

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 8 years male: 9 years female: 7 years (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.54 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Urbanization

urban population: 32% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

Airports

20 (2010) country comparison to the world: 134

Airports - with paved runways

total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Koulikoro

Railways

total: 593 km country comparison to the world: 111 narrow gauge: 593 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 18,709 km country comparison to the world: 114 paved: 3,368 km unpaved: 15,341 km (2004)

Waterways

1,800 km (downstream of Koulikoro; low water levels on the River Niger cause problems in dry years; in the months before the rainy season the river is not navigable by commercial vessels) (2010) country comparison to the world: 46