1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February
Comparative area
larger than California and Texas combined
Environment
hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; desertification; recent droughts affecting marginal agriculture
Land boundaries
7,459 km total
Land use
2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 25% meadows and pastures; 7% forest and woodland; 66% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Special notes
landlocked
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Total area
1,240,000 km?; land area: 1,220,000 km?
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
50% Mande (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), 17% Peul, 12% Voltaic, 6% Songhai, 5% Tuareg and Moor
Infant mortality rate
180/1,000
Labor force
3.1 million (1981); 80% agriculture, 19% services, 1% industry and commerce
Language
French (official); Bambara spoken by about 80% of the population
Life expectancy
42
Literacy
10%
Nationality
noun—Malian(s); adjective— Malian
Organized labor
National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM) is umbrella organization over 13 national unions
Population
8,422,810 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.80%
Religion
90% Muslim, 9% indigenous beliefs, 1% Christian
Government
Administrative divisions
7 regions, capital district
Branches
until 1979 executive authority exercised by Military Committee of National Liberation (MCNL) composed of 11 army officers; now Cabinet composed of civilians and army officers; unicameral legislature (National Council); judiciary
Capital
Bamako
Communists
a few Communists and some sympathizers (no legal Communist party)
Elections
constitutional elections took place June 1979
Government leader
Gen. Moussa TRAORE, President (led Mali as President of MCNL during 1968-79; President since 1979)
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law; constitution adopted 1974, came into full effect in 1979; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Section of Court of State; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
AfDB, APC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OIC, OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 22 September
Official name
Republic of Mali
Suffrage
universal over age 21 Political parties and leaders: Democratic Union of Malian People (UDPM) is the sole political party; under civilian leadership
Type
republic; single-party constitutional government
Economy
Agriculture
millet, sorghum, rice, corn, peanuts; cash crops—peanuts, cotton, livestock
Electric power
92,000 kW capacity; 161 million kWh produced, 20 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$174.5 million (f.0.b., 1985); livestock, peanuts, dried fish, cotton, skins
Fishing
catch 33,000 tons (1983 est.)
GDP
$1.1 billion, $150 per capita (1983); 4.4% annual real growth rate (1982)
Imports
$294.6 million (f.o.b., 1985); textiles, vehicles, petroleum products, machinery, sugar, cereals
Major industries
small local consumer goods and processing
Major trade partners
mostly frane zone and Western Europe; also with USSR,
Natural resources
gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone; bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, and uranium deposits are known or suspected but not exploited