| Also on Encarta |
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| Basic Facts |
| Official name |
Republic of Mali |
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| Capital |
Bamako |
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| Area |
1,240,192 sq km |
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478,841 sq mi |
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| Largest cities (population) |
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| Bamako |
1,264,000 (2003 estimate) |
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| Ségou |
107,000 (1998) |
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| Sikasso |
90,000 (1998) |
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| Mopti |
86,000 (1998) |
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| People |
| Population |
12,324,029 (2008 estimate) |
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| Population growth rate |
2.73 per cent (2008 estimate) |
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| Population density |
10 persons per sq km (2008 estimate) |
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26 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) |
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| Urbanization |
| Per cent urban |
34 per cent (2005 estimate) |
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| Per cent rural |
66 per cent (2005 estimate) |
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| Life expectancy |
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| Total |
49.9 years (2008 estimate) |
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| Female |
51.9 years (2008 estimate) |
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| Male |
48 years (2008 estimate) |
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| Infant mortality rate |
| 104 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) |
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| Literacy rate |
| Total |
49.7 per cent (2005 estimate) |
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| Female |
43.1 per cent (2005 estimate) |
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| Male |
56.6 per cent (2005 estimate) |
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| Ethnic divisions |
| Mande (Bambara,<p />Malinke, Sarakole) |
50 per cent |
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| Peul |
17 per cent |
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| Voltaic |
12 per cent |
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| Tuareg and Moor |
10 per cent |
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| Songhai |
6 per cent |
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| Other |
5 per cent |
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| Languages |
| French (official), Bamanankan, Bomu, Bozo, Dogon, Fulfulde, Hasanya Arabic, Senoufo, Maninkakan, Soninke, Koyraboro Senni Songhay, Syenara Senoufo, Tamasheq, Xaasongaxango, and other indigenous languages |
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| Religions |
| Muslim |
80 per cent |
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| Indigenous beliefs |
18 per cent |
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| Christian |
2 per cent |
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| Government |
| Type of government |
Republic |
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| Independence |
September 22, 1960 (from France) |
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| Constitution |
Adopted on January 12, 1992 |
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| Voting rights |
Universal at age 21 |
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| Economy |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$) |
| 5,866 million (2006) |
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| GDP per capita (US$) |
490.10 (2006) |
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| GDP by economic sector |
| GDP, agriculture |
36.9 per cent (2006) |
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| GDP, industry |
24 per cent (2006) |
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| GDP, services |
39.1 per cent (2006) |
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| National budget (US$) |
| Total revenue |
981 million (2006) |
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| Total expenditure |
920 million (2006) |
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| Monetary unit |
| 1 Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes |
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| Exports |
| Cotton, livestock, gold |
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| Imports |
| Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, construction materials, petroleum, textiles |
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| Major trading partners for exports |
| Belgium, China, Spain, France, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany |
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| Major trading partners for imports |
| Côte d’Ivoire, France, United Kingdom, Belgium, China, Germany, Spain |
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| Industries |
| Minor local consumer goods production and food processing, construction, phosphate and gold mining |
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| Agriculture |
| Principal crops: millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; livestock: cattle, sheep, goats |
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| Natural resources |
| Gold, silver, gypsum, marble, gemstones, and limestone. Phosphates, kaolin, salt, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, diamond, and copper deposits are known but not fully exploited |
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| Sources |
| Basic Facts and People sections |
| Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). |
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| Health and Education section |
| Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). |
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| Government section |
| Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance. |
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| Economy section |
| Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. |
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| Energy, Communication, and Transportation section |
| Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). |
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| Note |
| Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding. |
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