Portal:Mali

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Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over 1,241,238 square kilometres (479,245 sq mi). The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east by Niger, to the northwest by Mauritania, to the south by Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, and to the west by Guinea and Senegal. The population of Mali is 21.9 million,0 67% of which was estimated to be under the age of 25 in 2017. Its capital and largest city is Bamako. The country has 13 official languages, of which Bambara is the most commonly spoken.

The sovereign state of Mali consists of 19 regions; its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert. The country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, is in the Sudanian savanna and both the Niger and Senegal rivers pass through. The country's economy centres on agriculture and mining. Its most prominent natural resources include gold, of which it is the third largest producer in Africa, as well as salt.

Mali was once part of three extremely powerful and wealthy West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade: the Ghana Empire (for which Ghana is named), the Mali Empire (for which Mali is named), and the Songhai Empire. At its peak in 1300, the Mali Empire was the wealthiest country in Africa and one of the wealthiest on earth, with its 14th-century emperor Mansa Musa believed to be one of the wealthiest individuals in history. Besides being an economic powerhouse, medieval Mali was a centre of Islam, culture and knowledge, with Timbuktu becoming a renowned place of learning with its university, one of the oldest in the world still active. The expanding Songhai Empire absorbed the empire in 1468, followed by a Saadian army which defeated the Songhai in 1591. In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali, making it a part of French Sudan; as the Sudanese Republic, a brief federation with Senegal was formed, achieving independence in 1960. After Senegal's withdrawal, the Republic of Mali was established. After a long period of one-party rule, a coup in 1991 led to a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state.

In January 2012, an

legislative elections were held on 24 November and 15 December 2013. In the early 2020s, Mali experienced two military takeovers by Assimi Goïta. (Full article...

)

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The Festival au désert (Festival in the Desert) was an annual concert in Mali, showcasing traditional Tuareg music as well as music from around the world between 2001 and 2012. It was founded and directed by Manny Ansar, and attracted thousands of visitors, bringing a huge boost to the economy.

The first festival took place in 2001 in

Tin Essako, then in Tessalit in 2002, and in Essakane from 2003 to 2009. From 2010 to 2012 it was held on the outskirts of Timbuktu. After an incursion of Timbuktu by Islamist militants in 2012, the festival was postponed, and has not been held since then since then due to security concerns. (Full article...

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The following are images from various Mali-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A textile artisan at work in
Djenne, Mali. (from Culture of Mali
)

Image 2Map of the
Saadi dynasty of Morocco (outlined black) within the Songhai Empire (outlined red), c. 1591 (from Mali
)

Image 3Coat of arms of Mali (from Malian cuisine)
Image 4
Assimi Goita, interim president of Mali since 2021 Malian coup d'état (from Mali
)

Image 5Tuareg separatist rebels in Mali, January 2012 (from Mali)
Image 6The extent of the Mali Empire's peak (from Mali)
Image 7An entrance to the Djinguereber mosque (from Mali)
Image 8Malian musical duo
Amadou et Mariam are known internationally for their music, combining Malian and international influences. (from Culture of Mali
)

Image 9A proportional representation of Mali exports, 2019 (from Mali)
Image 10A market scene in Djenné (from Mali)
Image 11Mango packaging (from Malian cuisine)
Image 12Another image depicting Groundnut Stew (from Malian cuisine)
Image 13Malian tea (from Mali)
Image 14
Saadi dynasty of Morocco, c. 1591 (from History of Mali
)

Image 15Location of Mali (from Malian cuisine)
Image 16A crowd of women in Mali. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 17Flag of Mali (from Malian cuisine)
Image 18Grondnut Stew (from Malian cuisine)
Image 19
Modibo Sidibe voting in Bamako, 2018 Malian presidential election (from Mali
)

Image 20
Sambala, king of Médina (Fula people, Mali), 1890 (from Mali
)

Image 21Military situation in Mali (2023). For a detailed map, see here. (from Mali)
Image 22Representatives of Mali and Russia at the 2nd International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa” in Moscow, 19 March 2023 (from Mali)
Image 23Former President of Mali Amadou Toumani Touré and Minister-president of the Netherlands Mark Rutte (from Mali)
Image 24High school students in
Kati (from Mali
)

Image 25The pages above are from Timbuktu Manuscripts written in Sudani script (a form of Arabic) from the Mali Empire showing established knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. Today there are close to a million of these manuscripts found in Timbuktu alone. (from Mali)
Image 26WWI Commemorative Monument to the "Armée Noire" (from Mali)
Image 27Village in the Sahel region (from Mali)
Image 28Cotton processing at CMDT (from Mali)
Image 29The Tuareg are historic, nomadic inhabitants of northern Mali. (from Mali)
Image 30Malian children playing football in a Dogon village (from Mali)
Image 31Malian tea (from Malian cuisine)
Image 32GDP per capita development of Mali (from Mali)
Image 33Members of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, directory of the ruling junta in Mali (from Mali)
Image 34Map showing the fullest extent of rebel-held territory in January 2013 (from Mali)
Image 35A Dogon hunter with an old flintlock rifle still in use. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 36Mali map of Köppen climate classification (from Mali)
Image 37Landscape in Hombori (from Mali)
Image 38A farmer with potatoes (from Malian cuisine)
Image 39Konoguel Mosque tower (from Mali)
Image 40Bògòlanfini fabric. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 41Kalabougou potters (from Mali)
Image 42Jollof rice with vegetables and a boiled egg (from Malian cuisine)
Image 43Satellite image of Mali (from Mali)
Image 44Malian children playing football (from Culture of Mali)
Image 45Mali Dogon Dance (from Mali)
Image 46A Bozo girl in Bamako (from Mali)
Image 47Cotton being processed in Niono into 180 kg (400 lb) bales for export to other parts of Africa and to France, c. 1950 (from Mali)

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Cities and towns

v t e Largest cities or towns in Mali According to the 2009 Census^[1]
	Rank	Name	Region	Municipal pop.
Bamako Sikasso	1	Bamako	Bamako	1,810,366
	2	Sikasso	Sikasso	226,618
	3	Koutiala	Sikasso	141,444
	4	Ségou	Ségou	133,501
	5	Kayes	Kayes	126,319
	6	Mopti	Mopti	120,786
	7	Kalabancoro	Koulikoro	96,173
	8	Gao	Gao	86,353
	9	Kati	Koulikoro	84,500
	10	San	Ségou	66,967