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Background:
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 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 with a transitional government and in 1992 when Mali's
first democratic presidential election was held. After his
reelection in 1997, President Alpha KONARE continued to push
through political and economic reforms and to fight
corruption. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional
limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou
TOURE. |
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Location:
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Western Africa,
southwest of Algeria |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
1.24 million sq km
water: 20,000 sq km
land: 1.22 million sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less
than twice the size of Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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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:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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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:
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mostly flat to
rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south,
rugged hills in northeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Senegal River 23 m
highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, phosphates,
kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper
deposits are known but not exploited |
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Land use:
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arable land:
3.77%
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 96.19% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,380 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dust-laden
harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts;
occasional Niger River flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable
water; poaching |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked;
divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated
Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern,
arid Saharan |
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Population:
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11,956,788
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 47.1% (male 2,835,378; female 2,801,578)
15-64 years: 49.9% (male 2,862,075; female 3,101,009)
65 years and over: 3% (male 163,927; female 192,821)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
16.3 years
male: 15.7 years
female: 16.9 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.78%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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47.29
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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19.12
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.33
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
117.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 111.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 124.51 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 45.28 years
male: 44.7 years
female: 45.87 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.7%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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110,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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11,000
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Malian(s)
adjective: Malian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Mande
50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%,
Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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Muslim
90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1% |
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Languages:
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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:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
local long form: Republique de Mali |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Bamako |
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Administrative divisions:
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8 regions
(regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro,
Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou |
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Independence:
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22 September 1960
(from France) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
22 September (1960) |
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Constitution:
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adopted 12
January 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on French
civil law system and customary law; judicial review of
legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was formally
established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Ag
HAMANI (since 9 June 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime
minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term (two-term limit); election last held 12 May
2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister appointed
by the president
election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE elected
president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%,
Soumaila CISSE 35.6% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 July and 28 July 2002 (next to
be held NA July 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance for
Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda Traore KEITA, party chairman];
Block of Alternative for the Renewal of Africa or BARA [Yoro
DIAKITE]; Democratic and Social Convention or CDS [Mamadou
Bakary SANGARE, chairman]; Hope 2002 [leader NA]; Movement for
the Independence, Renaissance and Integration of Africa or
MIRIA [Mohamed Lamine TRAORE, Mouhamedou DICKO]; National
Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL,
chairman]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa
TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Yoro DIAKITE,
chairman; Tiebile DRAME, secretary general]; Rally for
Democracy and Labor or RDT [Ali GNANGADO]; Rally for Democracy
and Progress or RDP [Almamy SYLLA, chairman]; Rally for Mali
or RPM [Ibrahim Bonbasor KEITA, chairman]; Sudanese
Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE,
secretary general]; Union of Democratic Forces for Progress or
UFDP [Youssouf TOURE, secretary general]; Union for Democracy
and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Patriotic
Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and
Fronts of Azawad or MFUA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603
telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950
chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Vicki HUDDLESTONE
embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako
mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako
telephone: [223] (2) 223-833
FAX: [223] (2) 223-712 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 African franc
in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5%
average in 1996-2002. Worker remittances and external trade
routes have been jeopardized by continued unrest in
neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $10.53 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.5% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $900 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
45%
industry: 17%
services: 38% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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64% average; 30%
of the total population living in urban areas; 70% of the
total population living in rural areas) (2001 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.5% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.93 million
(2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and
fishing 80% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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14.6% urban
areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$764 million
expenditures: $828 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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food processing;
construction; phosphate and gold mining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% (FY96/97) |
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Electricity - production:
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480.2 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
41.7%
hydro: 58.3%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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446.6 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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4,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, millet,
rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats |
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Exports:
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$915 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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cotton, gold,
livestock |
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Exports - partners:
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Thailand 14.4%,
Italy 10.2%, India 7.8%, Germany 4.8%, Spain 4.8%, Mauritius
4.2%, Portugal 4.2% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$927 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum,
machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs,
textiles |
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Imports - partners:
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Cote d'Ivoire
16.9%, France 13.4%, Senegal 6.4% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$3.3 billion
(2000) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$596.4 million
(2001) |
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Currency:
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Communaute
Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority
is the Central Bank of the West African States |
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Currency code:
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XOF |
|
Exchange rates:
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Communaute
Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7
(1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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56,600
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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52,600
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;
provides only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay,
open-wire, and radiotelephone communications stations;
expansion of microwave radio relay in progress
international: country code - 223; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1,
FM 28, shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven
frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for
China Radio International (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1
(plus repeaters) (2001) |
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Internet country code:
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.ml |
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Internet hosts:
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158
(2002) |
|
Internet users:
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25,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 729
km
narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
|
Highways:
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total:
15,100 km
paved: 1,827 km
unpaved: 13,273 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
|
1,815 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Koulikoro |
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Airports:
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27 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 19
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 8 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Air Force,
National Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 2,529,147 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 1,450,795 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$51.1 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.3% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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