Portal:Mali

The Mali Portal

Flag of Mali

Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa and the 23rd largest country in the world, with an area of 1,240,192 square kilometres (478,841 sq mi). It is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east by Niger, to the northwest by Mauritania, to the south by Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, and to the west by Guinea and Senegal. The population is about 25.20 million, 47.19% of which are estimated to be under age 15 in 2024. Its capital and largest city is Bamako. French was the official language until 2022, when it was replaced by 13 African languages, with Bambara being the first language of the majority of the population.

Mali's northern borders reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert. Southern Mali, where the majority of inhabitants live, is in the Sudanian savanna and has the Niger and Senegal rivers running through it. The economy centres on agriculture and mining with its most prominent natural resources including gold (which represents 80% of its exports) and cotton. Mali is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.

Mali was part of three successive powerful and wealthy West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade: the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. At its peak in 1300, the Mali Empire was the wealthiest country in Africa with Emperor Mansa Musa believed to be one of the wealthiest individuals in history. Besides being a hub of trade and mining, medieval Mali was a centre of Islam, culture and knowledge, with Timbuktu becoming a renowned place of education. The Songhai Empire absorbed the Mali Empire in 1468, followed by a Saadian army which defeated the Songhai in 1591.

In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali, making it a part of French Sudan; as the Sudanese Republic, a brief federation with Senegal was formed, achieving independence in 1960. After Senegal's withdrawal, the Republic of Mali was established. After a long period of one-party rule, a coup in 1991 led to a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state. From this, Mali experienced economic growth and increased civil liberties, though this began to reverse after 2012. Since independence, there have been four rebellions involving Tuareg people, which occurred from 1962 to 1964, 1990 to 1995, 2007 to 2009, and since 2012.

In January 2012, an armed conflict broke out in northern Mali, in which Tuareg rebels took control of territory in the north, and in April declared the secession of a new state, Azawad. The conflict was complicated by a military coup in March 2012 and later fighting between Tuareg and other rebel factions. In response to territorial gains, the French military launched Operation Serval in January 2013. A month later, Malian and French forces partially recaptured the north, though the conflict continued.

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was elected president in 2013, but allegations of fraud during the 2020 parliamentary election led to mass protests. Keïta was removed in a coup led by Assimi Goïta, who established himself as military ruler of Mali after another coup in 2021. In 2025, all political parties were dissolved, and Goïta was granted a five-year presidential term, renewable without elections. The al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM imposed a fuel blockade on major cities, causing economic disruption and in 2026 launched a joint offensive with Tuareg separatists. (Full article...)

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A Fula girl in Mali

The status and social roles of women in Mali have been formed by the complex interplay of a variety of traditions in ethnic communities, the rise and fall of the great Sahelien states, French colonial rule, independence, urbanisation, and postcolonial conflict and progress. Forming just less than half Mali's population, Malian women have sometimes been the center of matrilineal societies, but have always been crucial to the economic and social structure of this largely rural, agricultural society.

In addition, their role has been shaped by the conflicts over religion, as animist societies gave way gradually to Islam in the 1100–1900 period. In recent years, the rise of religious fundamentalism has posed a threat to women's wellbeing. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Mali-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Malian tea (from Mali)
Image 2Satellite image of Mali (from Mali)
Image 3Groundnut stew (from Malian cuisine)
Image 4Another image depicting groundnut stew (from Malian cuisine)
Image 5Malian women in Djenné (from Mali)
Image 6Assimi Goita, interim president of Mali since the 2021 Malian coup d'état (from Mali)
Image 7Cotton being processed in Niono into 180 kg (400 lb) bales for export to other parts of Africa and to France, c. 1950 (from Mali)
Image 8Regions of Mali since 2023 (from Mali)
Image 9Malian tea (from Malian cuisine)
Image 10Cotton processing at CMDT (from Mali)
Image 11A Bozo girl in Bamako (from Mali)
Image 12Melted gold at Sadiola Gold Mine, Kayes (Source: Iamgold) (from Mali)
Image 13Konoguel Mosque tower (from Mali)
Image 14The Tuareg are nomadic inhabitants of northern Mali. (from Mali)
Image 15Pashalik of Timbuktu (yellow-striped) as part of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco, c. 1591 (from History of Mali)
Image 16Village in the Sahel region (from Mali)
Image 17Modibo Sidibe voting in Bamako, 2018 Malian presidential election (from Mali)
Image 18Malian children playing football (from Culture of Mali)
Image 19Mali map of Köppen climate classification (from Mali)
Image 20The extent of the Mali Empire's peak (from Mali)
Image 21A market scene in Djenné (from Mali)
Image 22Kalabougou potters (from Mali)
Image 23Tuareg separatist rebels in Mali, January 2012 (from Mali)
Image 24A Dogon hunter with an old flintlock rifle still in use. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 25Malian musical duo Amadou et Mariam are known internationally for their music, combining Malian and international influences. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 26Landscape in Hombori (from Mali)
Image 27High school students in Kati (from Mali)
Image 28GDP per capita development of Mali up to 2018 (from Mali)
Image 29The pages above are from Timbuktu Manuscripts written in Sudani script (a form of Arabic) from the Mali Empire showing established knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. Today there are close to a million of these manuscripts found in Timbuktu alone. (from Mali)
Image 30Jollof rice with vegetables and a boiled egg (from Malian cuisine)
Image 31Bògòlanfini fabric. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 32Members of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, September 2020 (from Mali)
Image 33Map of the Pashalik of Timbuktu (yellow-striped) as part of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco (outlined black) within the Songhai Empire (outlined red), c. 1591 (from Mali)
Image 34Mali Dogon dance (from Mali)
Image 35A crowd of women in Mali. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 36Fulani children in Mali (from Mali)
Image 37Malian children playing football in a Dogon village (from Mali)
Image 38A Bambara wedding in Mali, observed by a tourist (from Mali)
Image 39Malian soldiers at the 2013 Bastille Day parade in France (from Mali)
Image 40A textile artisan at work in Djenne, Mali. (from Culture of Mali)
Image 41WWI Commemorative Monument to the "Armée Noire" (from Mali)
Image 42Mango packaging (from Malian cuisine)
Image 43A farmer with potatoes (from Malian cuisine)
Image 44An entrance to the Djinguereber mosque (from Mali)
Image 45Griots of Sambala, king of Médina (Fula people, Mali), 1890. Photo by Joannès Barbier. (from Mali)
Image 46Military situation in Mali. For a detailed map, see here. (from Mali)
Image 47Map showing the fullest extent of rebel-held territory in January 2013 (from Mali)
Image 48Assimi Goïta with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia–Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, July 2023 (from Mali)

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Cities and towns

v t e Largest cities or towns in Mali According to the 2009 Census^[1]
Rank	Name	Region	Pop.
1	Bamako	Bamako	1,810,366
2	Sikasso	Sikasso	226,618
3	Koutiala	Sikasso	141,444
4	Ségou	Ségou	133,501
5	Kayes	Kayes	126,319
6	Mopti	Mopti	120,786
7	Kalabancoro	Koulikoro	96,173
8	Gao	Gao	86,353
9	Kati	Koulikoro	84,500
10	San	Ségou	66,967