Mali Location:
12°39'N, 8°0'W
Mali Geography:
At 478,734 mi2 (1,240,000 km2[1]), Mali is the world's 24th-largest country. It is comparable in size to South Africa, and is nearly twice the size of the US state of Texas.
Mali is landlocked and has a subtropical to arid climate. It is mostly flat, rising to rolling northern plains covered by sand, with savanna around the Niger River in the south. The Adrar des Ifoghas lies in the northeast. Most of the country lies in the Sahara, which produces a hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons and leads to recurring droughts. The nation has considerable natural resources, with gold, uranium, phosphates, kaolinite, salt and limestone being most widely exploited.
Mali People:
Population
- July 2005 estimate 13,518,000 (65th)
- Density 11 /km2 (207th)
28 /sq mi
Mali Government:
Government semi-presidential republic
- President Amadou Toumani Touré
- Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi Maïga
Mali Economy:
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert, and several prolonged periods of drought occurring there over the last century. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River. 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. Pottery is also practised by women whose wares are bought by dealers and are transported to markets where they are sold by traders. The traditional methods used by the potters are an attraction to foreign tourists. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export. In 1997, the government continued its implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program. Several multinational corporations increased gold mining operations in 1996-1998, and the government anticipates that Mali will become a major Sub-Saharan gold exporter in the next few years.
Mali More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali | 
