About Mali ...
1 November 2004

Mali in West-Africa

Mali's history illustrates the grandeur of West Africa. Three great kingdoms reigned in this area with Mali as their center: the Sonike Empire of Ghana in the 10th century; the Mandigo Empire of Mali in the 14th century; and the Songhai Empire of Gao in the 16th century. Mali's empire during the reign of Mansa Kankou Moussa extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the tropical forests of West Africa. Mali's wealth depended on control of the salt and gold mines. The Malian Empire fell after a series of invasions and losing of control over the Tombouctou gold route. Later, Mali became a French colony in 1883 and was French territory until 1958. In 1959, representatives from Mali, Senegal, Benin, and Burkina Faso met to draft a constitution founding the Federation of Mali. Upon completion, only Mali and Senegal voted to join the Federation. The Federation collapsed on August 20, 1960, when Senegal seceded. On September 22, 1960, Mali proclaimed itself a republic.

After the federation was dissolved Modibo Keita was elected the first president of the Republic of Mali. He declared a single-party state and to pursue a socialist policy based on extensive nationalization. On November 19, 1968, a group of young officers staged a bloodless coup and set up a 14-member Military Committee for National Liberation, with Lt. Moussa Traore as president. The military leaders attempted to pursue economic reforms, but for several years faced debilitating internal political struggles and the disastrous Sahelian drought. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 with a transitional government until 1992 when Mali's first democratic presidential election was held. On June 8, 1992, Alpha Oumar Konaré, the candidate of the Association for Democracy in Mali, was inaugurated as the president of Mali's Third Republic. After his reelection in 1997, president Alpha Konaré 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. The General Amadou Toumani Touré is the present president of Mali. He won the presidential elections in 2002, with a broad coalition of support


Mali is inhabited by more than 23 ethnic groups, of which the Mande are the largest group. Other large social groups are the Peul or Fulani, famous for their herding skills; the Dogon, renowned for their art and dance; and the Tuaregs, known as the blue men of the desert. Eighty percent of Mali's labor force is dedicated to agriculture. Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. 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. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the African franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2002. Worker remittances and external trade routes have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

Mali, a landlocked, tropical, country surrounded by Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Algeria covers 1.24 million sq km and has about 12 million inhabitants, according to 2004 estimates. The life expectancy is about 46 years of age; 118 infant deaths are reported per 1000 live births. The Niger River flows for more than 1,500 kilometers in Mali and waters the country's most beautiful farmland. Mali's climate can be severe. There are three main seasons: the very hot months from March to June; the hot, rainy period from June to October; and a pleasant, cooler, dry period between November and March. The air is dry and dusty.