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Background: |
The Sudanese Republic and
Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When
Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the
Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a
close in 1991 by a military coup - led by the current president Amadou
TOURE - enabling Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on
the continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic
presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with
Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was
succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected to a second term
in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair.
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Location: |
Western Africa, southwest of
Algeria |
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Geographic coordinates: |
17 00 N, 4 00 W |
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Map references: |
Africa |
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Area: |
total: 1.24 million sq
km
land: 1.22 million sq km
water: 20,000 sq km
|
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Area - comparative: |
slightly less than twice the
size of Texas |
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Land boundaries: |
total: 7,243 km
border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km,
Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km,
Senegal 419 km |
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Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked) |
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Climate: |
subtropical to arid; hot and
dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool
and dry (November to February) |
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Terrain: |
mostly flat to rolling northern
plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Senegal
River 23 m
highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m |
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Natural resources: |
gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt,
limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower
note: bauxite,
iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
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Land use: |
arable land: 3.76%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 96.21% (2005) |
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Irrigated land: |
2,360 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources: |
100 cu km (2001) |
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
total: 6.55 cu km/yr
(9%/1%/90%)
per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards: |
hot, dust-laden harmattan haze
common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River
flooding |
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Environment - current issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching |
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Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements |
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Geography - note: |
landlocked; divided into three
natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid
Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan |
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Population: |
12,324,029 (July 2008 est.)
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 48.2% (male
3,004,003/female 2,937,138)
15-64 years: 48.7% (male
2,976,314/female 3,028,433)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male
150,597/female 227,544) (2008 est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 15.8 years
male: 15.4 years
female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
2.725% (2008 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
49.38 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
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Death rate: |
16.16 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-5.97 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66
male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total: 103.83
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 113.41 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 93.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 49.94
years
male: 48 years
female: 51.94 years (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate: |
7.34 children born/woman (2008
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
1.9% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
140,000 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
12,000 (2003 est.) |
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Major infectious diseases: |
degree of risk: very
high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008) |
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Nationality: |
noun: Malian(s)
adjective: Malian |
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Ethnic groups: |
Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke,
Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
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Religions: |
Muslim 90%, Christian 1%,
indigenous beliefs 9% |
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Languages: |
French (official), Bambara 80%,
numerous African languages |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 46.4%
male: 53.5%
female: 39.6% (2003 est.)
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Country name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local
long form: Republique de Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic |
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Government type: |
republic |
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Capital: |
name: Bamako
geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W
time
difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time) |
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Administrative divisions: |
8 regions (regions, singular -
region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou
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Independence: |
22 September 1960 (from France)
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National holiday: |
Independence Day, 22 September
(1960) |
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Constitution: |
adopted 12 January 1992 |
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Legal system: |
based on French civil law
system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in
Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002)
head of
government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 April 2007
(next to be held in April 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president;
percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA
19.2%, other 9.6% |
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Legislative branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007
(next to be held in July 2012)
election results: percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADP coalition 113 (including ADEMA
51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other 10), FDR coalition 15
(including RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15 |
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
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Political parties and leaders: |
Alliance for Democratic Change
(political group comprised mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region);
African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO,
secretary general]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a
coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December
2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); Alliance for
Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE]; Convergence 2007 [Soumeylou
Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a coalition
of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to oppose the
presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); National Congress for Democratic
Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]; Party for Democracy and Progress or
PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile
DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for
Democracy and Labor or RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar
KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou
TOURE]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla
COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]
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International organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS,
FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WADB
(regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP
chancery: 2130 R Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Terrence P. MCCULLEY
embassy: located just off the
Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district
mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako
telephone: [223] 270-2300
FAX: [223] 270-2479 |
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Flag description: |
three equal vertical bands of
green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors
of Ethiopia |
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Economy - overview: |
Mali is among the poorest
countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and
with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely
confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. 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. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable
to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with
gold. The government has 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 CFA franc in January 1994
have pushed up economic growth to a 5% average in 1996-2007. Worker
remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been
jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$14.18 billion (2007 est.)
|
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GDP (official exchange rate): |
$6.936 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate: |
4.3% (2007 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$1,200 (2007 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 45%
industry: 17%
services: 38% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force: |
5.4 million (2007 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2005 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
30% (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line: |
36.1% (2005 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2001) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
40.1 (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.6% (2007 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
cotton, millet, rice, corn,
vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats |
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Industries: |
food processing; construction;
phosphate and gold mining |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
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Electricity - production: |
804 million kWh (2006) |
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Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 41.7%
hydro: 58.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption: |
804 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh; note - recent hydropower
developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2007
est.) |
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2007) |
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
5,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports: |
0 bbl/day (2006) |
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Oil - imports: |
5,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2005) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Exports: |
$294 million f.o.b. (2006)
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Exports - commodities: |
cotton, gold, livestock |
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Exports - partners: |
China 26.8%, Germany 24.9%,
Thailand 7.1%, Taiwan 4.9%, Bangladesh 4% (2006) |
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Imports: |
$2.358 billion f.o.b. (2006)
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Imports - commodities: |
petroleum, machinery and
equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles |
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Imports - partners: |
France 12.8%, Senegal 12.2%,
Cote d'Ivoire 10.5% (2006) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
$691.5 million (2005) |
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Debt - external: |
$2.8 billion (2002) |
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Market value of publicly traded shares: |
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Currency (code): |
Communaute Financiere Africaine
franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West
African States |
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Currency code: |
XOF |
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Exchange rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine
francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005),
528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF
franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
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Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
82,500 (2006) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
1.513 million (2006) |
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Telephone system: |
general assessment:
domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service
domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but
subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
subscribership has increased sharply to 13 per 100 persons
international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 230 (27 regional and
government stations, and 203 private stations), shortwave 1 (2001) |
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Radios: |
570,000 (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations: |
2 (plus repeaters) (2007)
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Televisions: |
45,000 (1997) |
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Internet country code: |
.ml |
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Internet hosts: |
28 (2007) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
13 (2001) |
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Internet users: |
70,000 (2006) |
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Airports: |
29 (2007) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 8
2,438 to
3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 21
2,438
to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523
m: 7
under 914 m: 8 (2007) |
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Railways: |
total: 729 km
narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
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Roadways: |
total: 18,709 km
paved: 3,368 km
unpaved: 15,341 km (2004) |
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Waterways: |
1,800 km (2007) |
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Ports and terminals: |
Koulikoro |
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Military branches: |
Malian Armed Forces: Army,
Republic of Mali Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Republique du Mali,
FARM), National Guard (2008) |
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Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age for compulsory
and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years
(2008) |
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Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49:
2,603,700
females age 16-49: 2,441,776 (2008 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49:
1,594,184
females age 16-49: 1,529,871 (2008 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.9% (2006) |
| Transnational Issues |
Mali |
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Disputes - international: |
none |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons: |
refugees (country of
origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007) |
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