Mali is one of the emptiest countries in Africa. Most of the country is flat, except for a mountain range, the Adrar des Iforas (Ifoghas), that runs along the Algerian border and the Hombori Mountains in the east. The northern part of Mali is taken up by the Sahara Desert and its vast sand “seas”, called ergs. Bordering the Sahara to the south is the scrubland of the Sahel. Southern Mali, a land of savanna grasslands, is much greener. Here, the great River Niger winds across the landscape. It divides into a number of smaller rivers, creating an inland delta, a swampy region of lakes and floodplains. The south has a hot, tropical climate. Most of the rain falls between July and November.

Economy

Most of the country’s people make their living from farming. The fertile banks of the River Niger have Mali’s best farmland: here, farmers grow cotton, a major cash crop, as well as rice, millet and vegetables for their families. Because its economy depends so heavily on farming—especially on cotton—Mali’s farmers suffer badly when there is a drought, or when world cotton prices fall. Another important industry is goldmining: Mali is Africa’s third largest gold producer after South Africa and Ghana.

People

Most of Mali’s people live in the south of the country, where the climate is warm and humid. The largest ethnic group are the Mande: the Bambara, Soninke and Malinke are all Mande peoples, and together they make up about 50% of the population. The Tuareg live mainly in Saharan and Sahelian regions.

More than 40 different languages are spoken in Mali, with French the official language. Most of Mali’s different peoples speak Bambara to one another. Mali is an extremely poor country: about half of its people live on less than $1.90 (around £1.55) a day.

Tuareg

The Tuareg are semi-nomadic people of the Sahara and Sahel: they travel with their herds season to season, but nowadays they have settled in areas where they grow crops. A Berber people, most of the Tuareg (who call themselves the Imuhagh) live in southern Algeria, western Libya, northern Mali, northern Niger and northern Burkina Faso. Many Tuareg have now migrated to live in towns and cities farther south in Mali. The total population is about 1.2 million. Deeply resentful at not having been granted an independent homeland, the Tuareg have been involved in several violent uprisings in the last 50 years.

Tuareg culture

Tuareg men wear a turban (tagelmust) and veil their faces with an alasho, a cloth dyed indigo-blue: the Tuareg were once described as the "Blue Men" of the Sahara Desert. Although most Tuareg are followers of Islam, this is often mixed with a traditional belief in spirits. Most Tuareg women do not wear veils in public.

​​​​​​​The Tuareg in rural areas still observe traditional social rank, based on family descent. They are: the Imajaghen, those of noble birth; the Imghad, herdsman and warriors; the Inadan, the craftworkers; the Izeggaghan, the farmworkers. The tradition of holding some people as slaves, the Bella, still persists in some areas.
​​​​​​​

Desertification

Only the southern part of Mali is suitable for farming, but as the country's population grows, more and more of the land is needed for cultivation and grazing. When farmers graze their animals in the Sahel at the edge of the desert, the threat of desertification increases. As grass and trees are removed, the soil can more easily blow away, and become replaced by desert sands. In this way, more and more of the Sahel is turning into the dry Sahara.

Timbuktu

Timbuktu (Tombouctou) is famous for being one of the most inaccessible places on Earth. It lies on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, surrounded by one of the harshest landscapes on the planet. Its name means “hollow” in the local Songhai language (the city lies in a depression).
​​​​​​​

At first, Timbuktu was a meeting place for nomads. But in the 12th century Timbuktu became a permanent settlement, thriving on the trade in trade gold, salt, ivory and slaves. By the 16th century, Timbuktu, now the capital of the great Songhai Empire, was an important centre of learning, with three universities. Today, this ancient city attracts thousands of visitors every year—an important source of income for its residents and Mali.
​​​​​​​

Facts about Mali

Population 21,990,607 (2024 estimate)

Area 1,220,190 sq km

Highest point Hombori Tondo 1155 m (3789 ft)

Capital Bamako (metro area population 4,227,569)

Other major cities Sikasso (pop. 226,618), Koutiala (137,919)

Languages French, Bambara, Ful, Dogon

Religions Muslim 95%, Christian 2%, animist 2%, others 1%

Ethnicity Mande 50% (including Malinke, Bambara and Soninke), Ful 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg 10%, others 5%

Currency West African CFA franc (XOF)

Chief exports cotton, gold, livestock