160 Important Facts About Mali

160 Interesting Facts About Mali

The official language is French.
The most popular sport in Mali is football.
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world.
As of 1 January 2017, the population of Mali was estimated to be 18,388,322 people.
Most of the country lies in the southern Sahara Desert, which produces an extremely hot, dust-laden Sudanian savanna zone.
Founded in the 5th century, the UNESCO-listed city of Timbuktu was a key trading post and centre of Islamic culture, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Mali’s Great Mosque of Djenné, constructed in 1907, is the world’s largest mud-brick building.
Every April, residents of Djenné maintain the walls of the mosque during a one-day festival called Crépissage (Plastering) where they reconstruct the walls with mud.
The Old Towns of Djenné are a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprised of nearly 2,000 traditional houses built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from seasonal floods. The town has been inhabited since 250 BC and was an essential link in the trans-Saharan gold trade.
By total surface area, Mali is Africa’s 8th largest country and the world’s 23rd largest.
French is Mali’s official language but Bambara is the most frequently spoken language in Mali. There are a dozen other national languages.
Mali’s geographic and ethnic diversity is reflected in its everyday culture. Malians commonly wear colorful boubous (flowing robes). The bogalanfini cloth is only produced in this part of Africa. This handcrafted cloth is dyed with mud. Women wear matching head covers.
Malians frequently participate in traditional ceremonies, dances and festivals. The country has unique musical traditions.
Dance has an important role in Mali. Ceremonial events are celebrated with traditional mask dances. The Dogon people of central Mali have more than 75 different ritual masks.
Historically a lively African intellectual center, Mali’s literary tradition is passed primarily by word of mouth. “Jalises” recite stories or histories of a community by heart.
The most popular sport in Mali is football (soccer) and its most popular teams are based in the country’s capital. The game called “wari” is a common pastime as well.
The Great Mosque of Djenné is a large banco or adobe building that is considered by many architects to be one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The mosque is located in the city of Djenné, on the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure dates from 1907. As well as being the center of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Along with the “Old Towns of Djenné” it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
The Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, is a famous learning center of Mali built in 1327. Its design is accredited to Abu Es Haq es Saheli who was paid 200 kg (40,000 mithqals) of gold by Musa I of Mali, emperor of the Mali Empire. Djinguereber is one of four madrassas composing the University of Timbuktu. It was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1988, and in 1990 was considered to be in danger due to sand encroachment.
The Tomb of Askia, in Gao, is believed to be the burial place of Askia Mohammad I, one of the Songhai Empire’s most prolific emperors. It was built at the end of the fifteenth century and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
There are two critically endangered, three endangered, ten vulnerable, and three near-threatened species of the 146 mammal species found in Mali.
Among these endangered species are the addax, the dame gazelle, the chimpanzee, the rhim gazelle, and the African wild dog.
Mali lions are now only found around the Faleme River. Manatees in the Niger River are no longer hunted for their meat due to their threatened status and protection laws.
Animals endemic to only Mali include the Mali Fire finch, the Mali Screeching Frog, the Bata Marsh Toad and the freshwater elephant fish.
A species of legume in the Fabacear family is found only in Mali. Cram cram and other grasses are scattered throughout Mali.
Fishing is an important food industry and there are approximately 200 species of fish in Mali. The most popular is capitaine.
The Inner Delta of the Niger River is rich in heron species. Seventeen Important Bird Areas (IBAs are designated in Mali, ten of which include wetlands (nine of which are in the Inner Delta).
Almost half of Mali’s population lives below the international poverty line. Mali is one of the 25 poorest countries in the world. The average annuMali’s environment concerns include deforestation, soil erosion, desertification and an inadequate potable water supply.
Natural environmental hazards/challenges include recurring droughts, infrequent flooding of the Niger River, and dust-laden hot haze that is common during the dry seasons.
Mali’s total population is expected to double by 2035. The Malian capital of Bamako is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa.
The average birthrate of six children per Mali woman is the third highest in the world. This insures continued rapid population growth for the foreseeable future.
Mali’s infant, child and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa due to a variety of factors, including poor health care and unattended births.
The other is the historic town of Timbuktu with its three great mosques and centuries of history. It is still an important stop for salt caravans even today.
The capital Bamako on the Niger River had wonderful local markets to explore. The harbor town of Mopti offers river adventures in a pinasse (locally built watercraft).
The largest national park and reserve in Mali is the Bouche du Baoulé National Park, northeast of Bamako. Monkeys are the only animals here now where giraffes, lions, chimps and gazelles used to roam. Poaching and the encroachment of man has decimated the rest.
The Reserve de Ansongo Menaka is near the Nigerian border in the southeast. The Reserve de Douantze has the most interesting wildlife remaining.
Other notable areas are the Wongo and Kouroufring National Parks, home of desert elephants that migrate with the seasons. The Bafing Biosphere Reserve hosts the Bafing Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
As the country struggled economically, unpopular governments were overthrown by the military in 1968 and 1991, when civilian government was restored.
The economy of Mali is based to a large extent upon agriculture, with a mostly rural population engaged in subsistence agriculture.
Cotton is the country’s largest crop export and is exported west throughout Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Rice and millet are the staples of Malian cuisine, which is heavily based on cereal grains.
Islam was introduced to West Africa in the 11th century and remains the predominant religion in much of the region. An estimated 90 percent of Malians are Muslim , approximately 5 percent are Christian and the remaining 5 percent adhere to indigenous or traditional animist beliefs.
Mali is renowned worldwide for having produced some of the stars of African music, most notably Salif Keita.
The largest cities have some “western” restaurants and in the capital city of Bamako can be found Vietnamese, Lebanese, Chinese and Italian cuisines, among others.
Legal drinking age in Mali is 18. Since it is a predominately Muslim nation, however, locals discourage drinking alcohol even though it is not prohibited. Some arrests and beatings of both locals and foreigners have been reported.
Djablani is a local specialty drink. It is made from the juice of the hibiscus or the baobab tree mixed with ginger. This juice is often sold in polythene bags and is said to be very refreshing.
Termites are found in many uncleared locations in their “castles of clay”. Alates or flying white ants are the termite populations housed in these.
Because of the continuing conflicts between the Islamic factions and the government, a large variety of hotels throughout the country have temporarily closed (including the high end ones).
There are a variety of accommodations available ranging from hotels to room rentals to auberges and homestays.
School enrollment is at 61 percent for primary school enrollment and 15 percent for secondary school enrollment. Literacy rates among the Mali people range from 27 to 46 percent, with men more literate than women.
Woman do all the work for the family but they are held in high regard. Women are always consulted, particularly in community decisions, because they symbolize harmony and peace.
The staples of Malian cuisine are millet and rice, with couscous added in the north. Sauces made from edible plants, such as baoboas, spinach, and peanuts, are added.
Thirty nine people are killed in two separate hotel attacks in Mali in 2015. One was in August and one in November. Several hotels throughout the country close until the troubles cease.
A new Islamist group emerged in central and southern Mali in the last two years and recruits by protecting local villages from bandits and corruption in the government.
Mali’s most frequently exported natural resources include gold, phosphates, salt, limestone, kaolin, uranium, and granite. Mali depends on agricultural exports and gold mining for its main revenue.
Gold is mined in Mali’s southern region and generates the third highest total gold production in all of Africa, after South Africa and Ghana.
Mali’s economic stability fluctuates with agricultural commodity and gold prices. Cotton, the country’s annual harvest, and gold exports represent 80 percent of Mali’s earnings.
When the Malian Empire’s 14th century emperor, Mansa Musa, made his impressive pilgrimage to Mecca, he traveled with over 70,000 people and up to 50 pounds of gold. He built a mosque every Friday on his entire trip.
France seized control of Mali in the late 19th century colonial period in Africa, and it became part of the French Sudan. After almost a century of French rule, Mali joined with Senegal to achieve independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation.
Later Senegal withdrew from the Federation and the country became the Republic of Mali. In 1991 Mali changed from a socialist state to a democratic one and adopted a new constitution.
Since the dawn of the 21st century, the northern Mail Tuareg tribes have led multiple military and political rebellions against different incarnations of the Mali central government.
The Tuareg MNLA and the Islamic group Ansar Dine merged in the last few years and declared northern Mali to be the new Islamic state of Azawad. They even opened an embassy of their own in the Netherlands.
United Nation peacekeepers were deployed in 2013 and more than 100 have been killed in Mali since then. It is considered one of the deadliest U.N. assignments.
Since independence, Mali has suffered from droughts, rebellions, coups and 23 years of military dictatorship. Following the 1991 coup, democratic elections were held in 1992 for the first time after General Traore seized power in 1968.
The UNESCO-listed Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) is a 150km-long sandstone cliff. The cliff features 289 villages inhabited by the Dogon people.
Mali has been plagued by sustained violence from Tuareg separatist rebels who seek an independent state and jihadist insurgencies. In 2013, French troops intervened militarily upon the Mali government’s request. UN peacekeeping forces remain in the country.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Mali is one of 17 countries deemed to be entirely unsafe for tourists to visit.
The Senegal and Niger Rivers make the south of Mali the country’s most fertile region.
The prime meridian marker is located in Gao, Mali. Here you can literally stand on the edge of two different hemispheres at the same time.
Mali’s climate is subtropical to arid, with February to June being the hot, dry season. June to November is rainy, humid and mild. November to February is the cool, dry season.
Historically Mali was part of three different West African empires that controlled all the trans-Saharan trade.
Settled as long ago as 50,000 B.C., its Ghana, Songhai and Mali empires saw mathematics, literature, art and astronomy flourish.
Mali’s Ghana Empire was West Africa’s first black empire. The empire’s wealth came mainly from the country’s position in the cross-Sahara trade routes.
Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. A landlocked country is completely enclosed by land with no access to the open sea. Currently, there are 45 landlocked countries and five partially recognised states in the world.
The discovery of rock art in the Sahara suggests that Mali has been inhabited since 10,000 BC when the Sahara was fertile and rich in wildlife.
The Mali Empire was one of the largest and most widely known pre-colonial African states. It was founded in the 11th century and lasted until the late 16th century when it was conquered by Morocco.
Mansa Musa, who was king of the Mali Empire from 1280 to 1337, is believed to be the wealthiest man who has ever lived.
The Songhai Empire was also located in Mali during the 15th and 16th centuries. A great trading state of West Africa, the empire centred on the Niger River and eventually extended all the way to the Atlantic coast and east into Niger and Nigeria.
The UNESCO-listed Tomb of Askia was built by Askia Mohamed, the Emperor of Songhai, in 1495. The complex includes a pyramidal tomb, two mosques, a cemetery and an open-air assembly ground.
In 1898, France colonised Mali and named it French Sudan.
In 1959, Mali gained independence as the Sudanese Republic (previously French Sudan) – part of the Mali Federation, an alliance linking Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (Mali).
In 1960, the federation dissolved and Mali became completely independent as the Republic of Mali.
At just 58.9 years, Mali has the world’s 11th lowest life expectancy. The global average life expectancy is 72.6.
Mali has a vertically striped green, yellow and red flag. The colours, which later came to be known as the “pan-African colours”, are also used in the national flags of Ethiopia, Ghana and Guinea.
Mali is recognised for its thriving music scene and its most famous musician is singer-songwriter Salif Keita, who is known as the “golden voice of Africa”.
Mali is home to the Festival au Désert, a music festival known as the “African Woodstock”. Unfortunately, the festival has not been held since 2012 due to security concerns.
Mali has the world’s fourth-highest fertility rate at 5.9, compared with the global average of 2.4.
Mali’s capital city Bamako means either “crocodile tail” or “crocodile river” in the Bambara language. Three crocodiles appear on the city’s seal.
Mali is home to part of the Sahara desert, the largest desert in the world.
Mali is among the 10 most dangerous countries in the world according to the International SOS Travel Risk Map. It has been assessed as carrying an ‘extreme travel security risk’.
The landlocked country named the Republic of Mali is the world’s 24th-largest country.
Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, comparable in size to the nation of South Africa and almost twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas.
Mali’s three natural land zones include the arid Saharan zone, the semiarid central Sahelian zone, and the southern cultivated Sudanese, where the majority of the country’s population lives.
The thermal equator crosses Mali, making it one of the hottest countries in the world. Rainfall is negligible and droughts are frequent.
Most of Mali’s land is flat, rising to rolling plains in the north that are covered with sand. The majority of the country is located in the southern part of the Sahara Desert.
Mali is divided into eight large regions and one district, the Bamako Capital District. These regions are Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségow, Gao, Mopti, Kindal and Tombouctou (also known as Timbuktu).
The lowest geographic point in Mali is the Senegal River. Its highest point is Mount Hombori Tondo.
Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King (or Lion Prince) was the founder and first ruler of the Mali Empire from which the country today takes its name. In his reign from 1235 to 1260 the empire stretched all the way to the western coast of Africa.
Mali’s president requested aid from France in 2013 as Islamist fighters captured many of the main northern cities, including the city of Timbuktu, and began destroying many ancient shrines.
The French troops stayed for several years and killed the leading al-Qaeda commanders with the rebels. A new peace accord was reached and signed in May of 2015.
Thirty four percent of the land is used as agricultural land, with 5.6 percent in arable land and 28.4 percent in permanent pastureland. Forests occupy ten percent of Mali.
Most of Mali’s economic activity is conducted in the area of the country the Niger River irrigates. The other 65 percent of the country is desert or semi desert land.
Many Malians from rural areas migrate for work purposed during the annual dry period. Ten percent of the population is naturally nomadic.
Mali’s long history of seasonal migration and emigration is driven by unemployment, internal conflicts, food insecurity, and droughts.
Since the early 1990s, Mali’s role as a transit country for regional migration flows has grown and now funnels illegal migration as far as Europe as well.
Human smugglers and traffickers use these same migration routes to move their own contraband. Human trafficking is on the rise in Mali.
The unemployment rate is thirty percent in Mali. Agriculture employs 80 percent of the people and 20 percent work in services and industries.
Mali has more than ten ethnic groups, including the Bambara (34%), Fulani (15%), Sarakole (11%) and Senufo (10%).
The Mali women’s national basketball team competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mali’s cuisine varies by its different regions. Street food sold in carts and small shops is tasty and economical. Menu choices include fried rice, meatballs, beef kebabs, fish, potatoes, and various fried dough treats.
A wide variety of fresh fruits is available but should be washed in bleach water before peeling. These include papaya, guava, mangoes, watermelons, oranges and bananas.
There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Mali. One is the Great Mosque of Djinné, which was built in 1906 completely of mud. Three towers and five stories comprise this adobe building, which is unfortunately not open to the public.
The Bandiagara Cliffs are a beautiful area for hiking. The Dogon people who live in this region have a fascinating culture.
Visit Gao for the Mausoleum of Askia the Great, a strange 16th century edifice that looks similar to a step pyramid.
It is bordered by Algeria to the northeast, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast to the south, Guinea to the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania to the west.
Desert or semi-desert covers about 65 percent of Mali’s area.
With an area of 1,240,192 square kilometers (478,841 square miles), Mali is the 23th largest country in the world, and the 8th largest in Africa.
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. The name Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning “crocodile tail”.
The country’s terrain is primarily savanna in the south and flat to rolling plains or high plateau (200–500 meters / 650-1640 feet in elevation) in the north. There are rugged hills in the northeast, with elevations of up to 1,000 meters (3280 feet).
Mount Hombori is a mountain in Mali’s Mopti Region, near the town of Hombori. At 1,153 meters (3,783 feet), it is the highest point in Mali. Mount Hombori is a significant archaeological site, with caves inhabited more than 2,000 years ago.
The largest rivers in Mali are the Niger and Senegal. Considered to be Mali’s lifeblood (its source of food, drinking water, irrigation and transportation) the Niger River snakes through roughly 4,180 kilometers (2,600 miles) of western Africa.
The network of protected areas in Mali covers about 8% of the national territory. It is made up of 4 national parks, plus other types of protected areas.
The Boucle du Baoulé National Park lies in western Mali. The park was established in 1982 and has an area of 25,330 square kilometers (9,780 square miles). The prehistoric tombs and rock art situated throughout the national park are just as impressive as the giraffes, elephants, leopards, and lions who roam its vast territory.
The Bandiagara Escarpment (Cliffs of Bandiagara) is an escarpment in the Dogon country of Mali. The sandstone cliff rises about 500 meters (1,640 feet) above the lower sandy flats to the south. It has a length of approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles). The area of the escarpment is inhabited today by the Dogon people. Before the Dogon, the escarpment was inhabited by the Tellem and Toloy peoples. Many structures remain from the Tellem. The Bandiagara Escarpment was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989.
The Aga Khan Foundation financed the National Park of Mali in the heart of bustling Bamako. His Highness Aga Khan designed this sprawling and serene park which includes a traditional medicine garden, tea house, playground, and two restaurants. Park visitors can work out at the fully-equipped gym, jog along gravel paths or simply watch the world go by while nibbling on croissants.
Mali is the cultural heir to the succession of ancient African empires – Ghana, Malinké, and Songhai – that occupied the West African savannah.
By the middle of the nineteenth century (1855 onwards), the French began conquering the area, which came to form part of ‘French West Africa’.
By 1946, it was known as the ‘French Sudan’, an overseas territory of the French Union.
In 1958, the country was joined with Senegal to form the Mali Federation. However Senegal split from this union and in 1960 the independent Republic of Mali was born.

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