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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

13 (2001)

Internet country code [time series]

.ml

Internet users [time series]

30,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

45,000 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

40,000 (2001)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

1 (plus repeaters) (2001)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $764 million expenditures: $828 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

XOF

Debt - external [time series]

$3.3 billion (2000)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

50.5 (1994)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$596.4 million (2001)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

446.6 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

480.2 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 41.7% hydro: 58.3% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates [time series]

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)

Exports [time series]

$680 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

cotton, gold, livestock

Exports - partners [time series]

Thailand 13.9%, Italy 9.8%, India 7.7%, Brazil 5.5%, Germany 5%, Spain 4.9%, Portugal 4.3%, Taiwan 4.3% (2002)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $9.775 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

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

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $900 (2002 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.5% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 40.4% (1994)

Imports [time series]

$630 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

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

Imports - partners [time series]

Cote d'Ivoire 17.1%, France 13.5%, Senegal 6.5%, Germany 4% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

NA%

Industries [time series]

food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

4.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force [time series]

3.93 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture and fishing 80% (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

64% average; 30% of the total population living in urban areas; 70% of the total population living in rural areas) (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

14.6% urban areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 1.24 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km land: 1.22 million sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic coordinates [time series]

17 00 N, 4 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

1,380 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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 [time series]

arable land: 3.77% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 96.19% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Bamako

Constitution [time series]

adopted 12 January 1992

Country name [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Vicki HUDDLESTONE embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako telephone: [223] (2) 223-833 FAX: [223] (2) 223-712

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

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

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Ag HAMANI (since 9 June 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (two-term limit); election last held 12 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE elected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%, Soumaila CISSE 35.6%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

22 September 1960 (from France)

International organization participation [time series]

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 July and 28 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 22 September (1960)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda Traore KEITA, party chairman]; Block of Alternative for the Renewal of Africa or BARA [Yoro DIAKITE]; Democratic and Social Convention or CDS [Mamadou Bakary SANGARE, chairman]; Hope 2002 [leader NA]; Movement for the Independence, Renaissance and Integration of Africa or MIRIA [Mohamed Lamine TRAORE, Mouhamedou DICKO]; National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL, chairman]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Yoro DIAKITE, chairman; Tiebile DRAME, secretary general]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Ali GNANGADO]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Almamy SYLLA, chairman]; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Bonbasor KEITA, chairman]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE, secretary general]; Union of Democratic Forces for Progress or UFDP [Youssouf TOURE, secretary general]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$419.7 million (FY02)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

15% (FY02)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,441,769 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,400,711 (2003 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 47.2% (male 2,759,802; female 2,727,226) 15-64 years: 49.8% (male 2,771,532; female 3,017,348) 65 years and over: 3% (male 161,983; female 188,328) (2003 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

47.79 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate [time series]

19.21 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

1.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

11,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

110,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 119.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 112.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 125.72 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 45.43 years male: 44.7 years female: 46.19 years (2003 est.)

Literacy [time series]

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

Median age [time series]

total: 16.3 years male: 15.7 years female: 16.9 years (2002)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Population [time series]

11,626,219 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.82% (2003 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.66 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

armed bandits based in Mali attack southern Algerian towns

Transportation

Airports [time series]

26 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 8 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 15,100 km paved: 1,827 km unpaved: 13,273 km (1999 est.)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Koulikoro

Railways [time series]

total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Waterways [time series]

1,815 km