Mali
Mali, officially the
Republic of Mali (
French:
République du Mali,
Amazigh:
), is a
landlocked nation in
Western Africa. It is the second largest country among West African nations. It borders
Algeria on the north,
Niger on the east,
Burkina Faso and the
Côte d'Ivoire on the south,
Guinea on the south-west, and
Senegal and
Mauritania on the west. Its straight borders on the north stretch into the centre of the
Sahara desert, while the country's south, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the
Niger and
Senegal rivers. Formerly
French Sudan, the country is named after the
Empire of Mali. The name of the country comes from the
Bambara word for
hippopotamus and the animal appears on the Mali 5 franc coin.
The
Mandé peoples settled the
Sahel (including present-day Mali), and formed a succession of
Sahelian kingdoms, including the
Ghana Empire, the
Mali Empire, and the
Songhai Empire.
Timbuktu was a key city in these empires as an outpost for
trans-Saharan trade and a center for scholarship. The Songhai Empire declined under a
Moroccan invasion in
1591.
Mali was invaded by
France starting in 1880, which annexed it as an overseas department of France. The colony, which at times also included neighbouring countries, was known as
French Sudan or the Sudanese Republic. In early 1959, the union of Mali and
Senegal became the
Mali Federation, which gained independence from France on
June 20,
1960. Senegal withdrew from the Mali Federation after a few months. The
Republic of Mali, under
Modibo Keïta, withdrew from the
French Community on
September 22,
1960.
Modibo Keita was victim of a coup in 1968 after which Mali was ruled by Moussa Traoré until
1991. Anti-government protests in
1991 led to a coup, a transitional government, and a new constitution. In
1992,
Alpha Oumar Konaré won Mali's first democratic, multi-party presidential election. Upon his reelection in
1997, President Konaré pushed through political and economic reforms and fought corruption. In
2002 he was succeeded in democratic elections by
Amadou Toumani Touré, a retired General, who had been the leader of the military aspect of
1991 democratic uprising.
Under Mali's 1992 constitution, a
president is elected for a five year term as chief of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. This president appoints the prime minister and chairs the Council of Ministers, which adopts proposals for laws submitted to the National Assembly for approval. The constitution further defines Mali as being a multi-party democracy, and prohibits parties based on ethnic, religious, regional, or gender lines.
The National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of the government, and currently consists of 147 members. The term of office for members is five years. Eight political parties are currently represented in the Assembly, and are aggregated into four parliamentary groups. ADEMA currently holds the majority among these groups.
Mali is divided into eight administrative regions, which are themselves further divided into districts. These districts are composed of communes, which contain villages. Since decentralization plans began, a total of 702 local municipal councils have been formed. These are headed by elected mayors.
The Malian legal system is largely defined by the country's former colonial status under France. Moves have been made to change this system to closer conform to the actual culture of the country, but many laws of the French era remain in effect. The judiciary is defined by the constitution as being an independent body. Currently, judges are appointed by the Ministry of Justice. Mali has both a constitutional court, and a high court of justice. The latter is empowered to try government officials in cases of treason.
Mali is divided into 8
regions (
régions) and 1
district. It is subdivided into 49
cercles and further subdivided into 288
arrondissements.
The
regions include:
*
Bamako (district)*
Gao*
Kayes*
Kidal*
Koulikoro*
Mopti*
Ségou*
Sikasso*
Tombouctou (Timbuktu)
Cercles: see
Cercles of MaliMali 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 hills of the
Air Massif and
Djado Plateau lie in the northeast. Most of the country lies in the
Sahara Desert, 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.
See List of cities in MaliMali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert. 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 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, has pushed up economic growth. 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's population consists of diverse Sub-Saharan ethnic groups, sharing similar historic, cultural, and religious traditions. Exceptions are the Tuaregs and Maurs, desert nomads, related to the North African Berbers. The Tuaregs traditionally have opposed the central government. Starting in June 1990 in the north, Tuaregs seeking greater autonomy led to clashes with the military. In April 1992, the government and most opposing factions signed a pact to end the fighting and restore stability in the north. Its major aims are to allow greater autonomy to the north and increase government resource allocation to what has been a traditionally impoverished region. The peace agreement was celebrated in 1996 in Timbuktu during an official and highly publicized ceremony called "Flamme de la Paix"--(peace flame).
|
Mosque under construction in Bamako |
Approximately 90% of Malians follow
Sunni Islam, but not always to the exclusion of traditional religious beliefs and practices. Muslims have their own educational systems, leading in some cases to the equivalent of baccalaureate and doctoral studies. An increasingly large number of Muslims make the pilgrimage to
Mecca and study in Arab countries. Christians comprise about 5% of the population. Under French colonial rule the introduction of missionaries into predominantly Islamic areas was discouraged.
Literacy in French, the official language, is low and is concentrated in the urban areas. The government has expanded literacy considerably since 1960 by stressing education at the primary and lower secondary levels. A national university was established in
Bamako in the 1990s.
*
Architecture of Mali-
Great Mosque of Djenné*
list of Architects from Mali*
List of writers from Mali*
Languages of Mali*
Music of Mali*
Roman Catholicism in Mali*
Communications in Mali*
Foreign relations of Mali*
Military of Mali*
Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2002: Rank 43 out of 139 countries (2 way tie)
*
Transportation in Mali*
Scouting in Mali*
Media of Mali*
Jews of the Bilad el-Sudan (West Africa)*
African JewGovernment
*
The Embassy of Mali in Washington DC government information and links
News
*
allAfrica.com - Mali news headline links
Overviews
*
Mali's location on a 3D globe (Java)*
BBC News Country Profile - Mali* [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ml.html CIA World Factbook -
Mali]
*
United Nations Human Rights - Mali dating from 1997
*
Mali Folkecenter - Mali from an organisation aiming to promote the sustainable management of natural resources
Directories
*
Open Directory Project - Mali directory category
*
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Mali directory category
*
The Index on Africa - Mali directory category
*
University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Mali directory category
*
Yahoo! - Mali directory category
Music
*
Listing of Malian Musicians *
Habib Koite *
Cora Connection West African music
*
Live from Bamako Djembe drumming from West Africa and other traditional music
Tourism
*
official tourism site*
Local Mali Guide Services*
Niger Currents: Exploring life and technology along the Niger River
