In 1960 the Mali Federation gained its independence from France. Senegal, then a part of the Federation, seceded that same year leaving the country to be known as Mali. Mali lived under authoritarian rule until 1991. Democratic elections were held until 2012 when a military coup overthrew the government. ECOWAS helped negotiate the transfer of power to civilian rule, and an interim President was placed in power until elections could be held, which occurred in 2013. Economically, Mali is one the poorest countries in the world. Their main source of GDP comes from agricultural exports and gold mining.

• Country Profile
  • Land Mass/Major Cities – The capital city of Mali is Bamako, and its border countries are Algeria, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Senegal. It is a landlocked country.
  • Languages – French (official), Bambara, Peul/Foulfoulbe, Dogon, Maraka/Soninke, Malinke, Sonrhai/Djerma, Minianka, Tamacheq, Senoufo, Bobo
• Business Activity
  • Agriculture – Cattle, corn, cotton, goats, millet, peanuts, rice, sheep, and vegetables
  • Industries – Construction, food processing, gold mining, and phosphate mining
  • Natural Resources – Gold, granite, gypsum, hydropower, kaolin, limestone, phosphates, salt, and uranium
  • Exports – Cotton, gold, and livestock
  • Imports – Construction materials, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, petroleum, and textiles
  • Major Trading Partners – Bangladesh, China, Cote d’Ivoire, France, India, Indonesia, Senegal, Switzerland and Thailand

Source: CIA. (2017). The World Factbook: Mali. CIA. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ml.html