Mali




                                 Geography


Location:
     Western Africa, between Mauritania and Niger
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
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
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
Coastline:
     0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
     none; landlocked
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
Climate:
     subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and
     mild June to November; cool and dry November to February
Terrain:
     mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in
     south, rugged hills in northeast
Natural resources:
     gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, bauxite, iron ore,
     manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
Land use:
arable land:
     2%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     25%
forest and woodland:
     7%
other:
     66%
Irrigated land:
     50 sq km (1989 est.)
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
Note:
     landlocked


                                  People


Population:
     9,112,950 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.78% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     51.79 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     20.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     106.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     45.91 years
male:
     44.29 years
female:
     47.57 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     7.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Malian(s)
adjective:
     Malian
Ethnic divisions:
     Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai
     6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
Religions:
     Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Languages:
     French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
     17%
male:
     26%
female:
     9%
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)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Mali
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republique de Mali
local short form:
former:
     French Sudan
Digraph:
     ML
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Bamako
Administrative divisions:
     8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro,
     Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou
Independence:
     22 September 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
     Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 22 September (1960)
Constitution:
     new constitution adopted in constitutional referendum in 12 January
     1992
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
Suffrage:
     21 years of age; universal
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
Legislative branch:
     unicameral




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
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
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)
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
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
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
FAX:
     [223] 228059
Flag:
     three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red;
     uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia


                                  Economy




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.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - 5.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -6.1% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
     $650 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     2% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $376 million
expenditures:
     $697 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
     $330 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     cotton, livestock, gold
partners:
     mostly franc zone and Western Europe
Imports:
     $682 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, construction materials,
     petroleum, textiles
partners:
     mostly franc zone and Western Europe
External debt:
     $2.6 billion (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -1.4% (1992 est.); accounts for 13.0% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     260,000 kW
production:
     750 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     90 kWh (1991)
Industries:
     small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate,
     gold, fishing




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
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
Currency:
     1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
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
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


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




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


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police
     (Surete Nationale)
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,803,301; fit for military service 1,027,780
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $41 million, 2% of GDP (1989)