|RNational holiday:|N Independence Day, September 22.
|RNature and climate:|N Low grassy plains in the south and a part of the Sahara Desert in the north. Vast marshes around the central part of Niger River.
Average temperature in the southern parts between 25 and 30°C throughout the year and in the north about 20°C in January and 35°C in July. In this area +55°C is not unusual in July.
|RPeople:|N The population is concentrated to the area around the rivers Niger and Senegal, while the other 80% of the area in uninhabited by others than nomads.
Many different tribes. The Mande-tribes Bambara, Malinke and Sarakole dominates with 50% of the population. Other big tribes are Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg 5% and Moor 5%. 10% of the population are nomads.
|REconomy:|N 72% of the labour force is occupied in agriculture, 16% in different services and 12% in industry and trade.
Stockraizing has traditionally been very important but due to extensive droughts in the 1970:s and 1980:s the stock has decreased. These droughts killed more than 100 000 people.
There is an extensive fishing in the big rivers. Dried fish is exported.
Millet, rice, peanuts and cotton are the most important crops and food production was enough for domestic demands up to the drought periods in the 1970:s, but today Mali have to import food.
Increasing deserts is another problem for agriculture.
Mali only have a few minerals. Salt has been extracted since ancient times as well as gold.
More recently phosphate, uranium, bauxite, iron and manganese has been found and some extraction has started with foreign help.
Manufacturing is poorly developed and aimed at processing the agricultural resources.
|RHistory:|N For more than 4000 years Mali has been a centre of West African civilization. Here the kingdom of Ghana was founded at about 750 AD building it's strength on the gold trade with north African Berbs.
This kingdom was overthrown by Muslims and instead the kingdom of Mali arouse and became the dominant power in the area. This kingdom reached great prosperity which was well known both in the Islamic world and in Western Europe.
The Mali kingdom was in the early 15th century succeeded by the Songhai empire created in the cities Gao and Timbuktu.
In 1591 Moroccans conquered Timbuktu and the Songhai empire collapsed into a series of small states.
During the 19th century France gained control of the area and in 1898 the colony French Sudan was created.
In 1946 Mali was granted limited self-rule and in 1958 it became autonomous within the French community. In 1959 the Federation of Mali was formed by French Sudan and Senegal and became an independent republic in 1960.
Only two months after independence Senegal seceded from the federation.
The first elected president Modibo Keita introduced a socialistic policy but was overthrown by the military in 1968, bringing Amadou Toumani Traore to power.
Troare in turn, was overthrown in a military coup in 1991. After this a multiparty democracy has been promised.
