Portal:Mali

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The Mali Portal

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Mali (/ˈmɑːli/ ^ⓘ; French pronunciation: [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 on the north by Algeria, on the east by Niger, on the northwest by Mauritania, on the south by Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, and on the west by Guinea and Senegal. The population of Mali is 21.9 million.0 67% of its population was estimated to be under the age of 25 in 2017. Its capital and largest city is Bamako. It has 13 official languages, of which Bambara is the most spoken one.

The sovereign state of Mali consists of nineteen regions and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert. The country's southern part is in the Sudanian savanna, where the majority of inhabitants live, and both the Niger and Senegal rivers pass through. The country's economy centres on agriculture and mining. One of Mali's most prominent natural resources is gold, and the country is the third largest producer of gold on the continent of Africa. Mali was home to the man reputed to be the richest man who has ever lived, known as Mansa Musa. The country is also known for its exports of salt.

Present-day 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, covering an area about twice the size of modern-day France and stretched to the west coast of the continent. Mali was also one of the wealthiest countries on earth, and its emperor at its zenith, Mansa Musa, is 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. French Sudan (then known as the Sudanese Republic) joined with Senegal in 1959, achieving independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. Shortly thereafter, following Senegal's withdrawal from the federation, the Sudanese Republic declared itself the independent Republic of Mali. After a long period of one-party rule, a coup in 1991 led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state.

In January 2012, an armed conflict broke out in northern Mali, in which Tuareg rebels took control of a territory in the north, and in April declared the secession of a new state, Azawad. The conflict was complicated by a military coup that took place in March and later fighting between Tuareg and other rebel factions. In response to territorial gains, the French military launched Operation Serval in January 2013. A month later, Malian and French forces recaptured most of the north, although the conflict still continued. Presidential elections were held on 28 July 2013, with a second-round run-off held on 11 August, and 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 military history of the Mali Empire is that of the armed forces of the Mali Empire, which dominated Western Africa from the mid 13th to the late 15th century. The military culture of the empire's driving force, Mandinka people, influenced many later states in West Africa including break-away powers such as the Songhay and Jolof empires. Institutions from the Mali Empire also survived in the 19th century army of Samory Ture who saw himself as the heir to Old Mali's legacy. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Military situation in Mali (2023). For a detailed map, see here. (from Mali)
Image 2A textile artisan at work in Djenne, Mali. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 3Malian children playing football (from Culture of Mali)
Image 4A crowd of women in Mali. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 5Cotton processing at CMDT (from Mali)
Image 6Village in the Sahel region (from Mali)
Image 7Mango packaging (from Malian cuisine)
Image 8Modibo Sidibe voting in Bamako, 2018 Malian presidential election (from Mali)
Image 9Mali Dogon Dance (from Mali)
Image 10WWI Commemorative Monument to the "Armée Noire" (from Mali)
Image 11An entrance to the Djinguereber mosque (from Mali)
Image 12The 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 13Assimi Goita, interim president of Mali since 2021 Malian coup d'état (from Mali)
Image 14A market scene in Djenné (from Mali)
Image 15Griots of Sambala, king of Médina (Fula people, Mali), 1890 (from Mali)
Image 16Members of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, directory of the ruling junta in Mali (from Mali)
Image 17A Dogon hunter with an old flintlock rifle still in use. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 18Map of the Pashalik of Timbuktu (yellow-striped) as part of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco (outlined black) within the Songhai Empire (outlined red), c. 1591 (from Mali)
Image 19Jollof rice with vegetables and a boiled egg (from Malian cuisine)
Image 20Satellite image of Mali (from Mali)
Image 21The Tuareg are historic, nomadic inhabitants of northern Mali. (from Mali)
Image 22Map showing the fullest extent of rebel-held territory in January 2013 (from Mali)
Image 23Former President of Mali Amadou Toumani Touré and Minister-president of the Netherlands Mark Rutte (from Mali)
Image 24A proportional representation of Mali exports, 2019 (from Mali)
Image 25Malian children playing football in a Dogon village (from Mali)
Image 26A farmer with potatoes (from Malian cuisine)
Image 27Malian musical duo Amadou et Mariam are known internationally for their music, combining Malian and international influences. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 28Kalabougou potters (from Mali)
Image 29GDP per capita development of Mali (from Mali)
Image 30Cotton being processed in Niono into 180 kg (400 lb) bales for export to other parts of Africa and to France, c. 1950 (from Mali)
Image 31Location of Mali (from Malian cuisine)
Image 32Landscape in Hombori (from Mali)
Image 33Representatives of Mali and Russia at the 2nd International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa” in Moscow, 19 March 2023 (from Mali)
Image 34Mali map of Köppen climate classification (from Mali)
Image 35Malian tea (from Mali)
Image 36Bògòlanfini fabric. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 37Tuareg separatist rebels in Mali, January 2012 (from Mali)
Image 38A Bozo girl in Bamako (from Mali)
Image 39Malian tea (from Malian cuisine)
Image 40High school students in Kati (from Mali)
Image 41The extent of the Mali Empire's peak (from Mali)
Image 42Pashalik of Timbuktu (yellow-striped) as part of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco, c. 1591 (from History of Mali)
Image 43Konoguel Mosque tower (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	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