Mali (officially the Republic of Mali), is a West African landlocked country. It is surrounded by Niger on the east, Algeria on the north, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. The country consists of eight regions. On the north, its borders reach deep into the middle of Sahara. The majority of inhabitants live in the country’s Southern part. It features the famous Niger and Senegal rivers. Agriculture and fishing serve as the two main sectors of country’s economic development. Mali’s major natural resources include salt, gold and uranium.
West African CFA franc
1,240,192 square km (478,839 square miles)
14,517,176 (estimated)
223
GMT (UTC+0)
The latitudinal extent of Mali is 10 degrees and 25 degrees north, and longitudinal extent is 13 degrees west and 5 degrees east. Mali stands on 24th place of the world’s largest countries. It can be compared in size to South Africa and Angola. As most of the country lies in the southern Sahara, it produces a hot, dust laden Sudanese Savanna zone. Topographically, Mali is mostly flat and it rises to rolling northern plains covered by sand.
Territory and capital : Mali’s capital is Bamako. There are three natural zones which are encompassed by territory of Mali, namely: the southern cultivated Sudanese zone, the central semi-arid zone and northern arid Saharan zone. In the South, the terrain is Savanna, which is flat to high plateau or rolling plains in the north, the northeast features rugged hills with high elevation of up to 1,000 meters. The desert or semi-arid terrain covers 65% of the country’s area. As the Niger River flows through northeast, large and fertile inland delta is created. Here, the Niger River flows through Mali from Guinea. The river finally falls into the Gulf of Guinea.
Suitable visiting seasons : November sees the peak tourist activity in Mali. However, the period between November and January is the best time to visit as the climate is mild. In addition to this, it is also a good time for boat trips across the river Niger.
Mali offers transportation through road, air and train. The air transportation is best. Senou International Airport in Bamako is the main airport which offers flights to neighboring countries and to Europe.
