Mali

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Mali spends 2.68 percent of its GDP on its military which is US$474 million. This makes Mali the 96th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.025 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Mali consists of an army, and an Air Force. Despite not having access to the sea, it also has a Navy. Its military is considered to be underfunded and underequipped is in the process of modernization. However, due to a lack of funds, this process has been postponed several times.

Military membership

Mali is a member of three international military organizations which makes it the 164th most connected state in the world.

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Mali has partaken in one international war. This is:

Agacher Strip War 1985-1985

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Mali is a member of 11 international political organizations which makes it the 111th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
African Union
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies

South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is ranked as the 102nd most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to corruption and possible election fraud as well as several coups that have taken place over the last 20 years. Aside from this, there is a threat of radical Islamist groups that tried to take over Mali. With the intervention of peacekeeping missions of the United Nations, elections have taken place which put Mali on the path towards a more democratic state.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Mali takes place in the form of a presidential democratic republic where the president of Mali is head of state and the Prime Minister, appointed by the president of Mali, is head of government.

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Malta.

Known for one of the most prosperous empires of Africa as well as the world-renowned city of Timbuktu, Mali has seen economic hardships over the last century. The Mali Empire lasted from the 11th until the end of the 16th century when Morocco conquered the territory and ruled over the territory until the end of the 19th century when it became part of the French Empire. The French incorporated Mali into the French Empire and renamed the territory French Sudan. When it gained its independence in June 1960, it became an independent state called the Sudanese Republic which was incorporated with the Republic of Senegal. However, within two months Senegal seceded from the Sudanese Republic which in turn created the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Mali which became a landlocked state. Since its independence, Mali transformed itself from a socialist state into a democracy and has seen an era of political instability and social unrest as well as border clashes with Burkina Faso.

The territory of Mali consists of plains and low-lying hills with the exception of a small mountainous area to its north east. Most of its territory to the north consists of the Sahara Desert which slowly transforms into a savanna along its central area towards a lightly forested area on its southern border. In total, Mali borders seven other states with Algeria to the north, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso Ivory Coast and Guinea to the south and the Senegal and Mauritania to the west.

With a total surface area of 1,246,393 square kilometers or 481,235 square miles, Mali is the 23rd largest state in the world being slightly larger than South Africa and slightly smaller than Angola.

It has a total water surface area of 20,102 square kilometers or 7762 square miles which makes it the 29th highest in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The majority of its water is located in the Niger River as well as the Senegal River. Its largest lake is the Debruin Lake. The majority of the population relies on ground water as its main source of drinking water. However, due to poor treatment, its drinking water is not considered to be safe.

The climate of Mali can be divided up into a desert climate to the north and a subtropical climate to the south. On average, Mali experiences a temperature of 28.2 degrees Celsius or 82.8 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Mali the third warmest state in the world.

During the warmer period, from March to June, the average temperature is 33.5 degrees Celsius or 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the cooler period, from October to February, the average temperature is 22.8 degrees Celsius or 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of the rainfall in Mali occurs between June and September which is characterized as its rainy or winter season. During this period, Mali receives more than 70 percent of its annual rainfall. Its annual rainfall is 66 centimetres or 25.9 inches which makes it the 136th highest in the world. It is rainfall is unevenly spread out with its northern part receiving a little to no rainfall while its southern part receives the vast majority.

The capital of Mali, Bamako, is home to 1.6 million people. The capital that is closest located to Bamako is Yamoussoukro of Ivory Coast with a distance of 412 kilometers or 256 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Bamako is Port Vila of Vanuatu with a distance of 19,326 kilometers or its 12,009 miles.

The economy of Mali is among the least developed in the world. The vast majority of its population relies on subsistence farming, but this is insufficient to provide enough food to all of its population. Therefore, Mali is mainly reliance upon foreign aid. A small percentage of the Mali economy is based on industry which is mainly focused on the processing of food. The remaining percentage has been active in the gold mining industry. Most of its exports are cotton and gold which are mainly exported to Switzerland and South Africa which combined represent more than 60 percent of all exports. As of its imports comes from China and Senegal which combined represent 35 percent of all imports.

Mali is a member of 13 international economic organizations which makes it the 80th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
West African Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Economic Community of West African States
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

With a GDP of US$16.9 billion, it is the 122nd highest in the world representing 0.02 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 189th highest in the world with US$13,585 per square kilometer or US$35,186 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 172nd highest in the world and stands at US$864

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power per capita is US$2,863 which ranks it the 176th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a population of 19.6 million people, Mali is the 59th most populous state in the world. The population of Mali consists of different tribes which each speak their own language. However, Bambara is spoken by approximately half of the population while French is its official language. The tribes that do not speak of these languages are mainly nomadic tribes such as the Berbers, which speak Arabic.

It has the 177th highest population density in the world with 16 people per square kilometer or 41 people per square mile.

Emigration from Mali is represented by 4.8 percent of the population, or just over 900,000 people. This makes Mali the 72nd state with the highest amount of emigrants and represents 0.37 percent of total global emigration. The main reasons for emigration are the high poverty rates as well as social and political instability due to several coups and abuses by the government of Mali. The major destinations for emigrants have been Ivory Coast which receives more than 60 percent of all migrants.

Immigration to Mali is represented by 2.3 percent of the population, or just under 450,000 people. This makes Mali the 65th state with the highest amount of immigration representing 0.18 percent of total global immigration. Most people that migrated to Mali do not consider it to be a permanent residence, but more of a transit point to other states.

Primary school is provided for free and is compulsory between the ages of seven and 16. Despite increasing its educational budget, Mali still has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world which stands at 35.4 percent and is ranked as the 190th most literate state. The main reason for this low literacy rate is the low attendance rates as well as a discrepancy between men and women due to cultural limitation of education for women.

The health care system of Mali is considered to be among the least developed in the world. The main causes of death are communicable diseases such as malaria, dengue and hepatitis which is mainly caused by polluted drinking water and a lack of preventive measures. The average life expectancy in Mali is 60.60 years which is the 170th highest in the world. Men reach an average age of 59.7 years while women reach an average age of 61.4 years.

The government of Mali provides freedom of religion towards all religions and does not put any restrictions on Islamic or Christian missionaries that reside within Mali. However, due to an increase in radical Islam to the north, tensions have been rising up between the Christian population and the Muslim population.

Around 2.4 percent of the population adheres to Christianity. It was first introduced by the French, with predominantly the Catholic denomination. At the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, the number of Christian followers had started to increase.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

The vast majority, 94.8 percent of the population, adheres to Islam with the Maliki school of thought being the largest denomination. It was introduced into Mali during the ninth century when Muslim merchants started trading within its territory. After becoming incorporated by Morocco, it became a predominantly Muslim state with several cities being historically significant to Islam. The majority of the population is considered to be moderate, but a rise in Orthodox Islam as well as connections between Malian Islamist groups and terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda have seen a rise in violence in recent decades.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Mali.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Mali.

There are no official Jewish organizations in Mali.

Around 1.3 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are mainly adherents to the Dogon religion that believe in ancestral spirits as well as an omnipotent guard called Amma.

Around 0.37 percent of the population does not adhere to any religion.