Key Facts about Mali

About Mali:

• It is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of 1,240,192 sq. km.
• Capital: Bamako 
• Bordering Countries: Mali borders seven other nations: Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, and Mauritania. 
• Geography:
  • Approximately 65% of the country is covered by desert or semi-desert.
  • The Sahara Desert makes up a large portion of Mali's total land area. 
  • Mali has a monotonous landscape, with plains and plateaus dominating the country's topography. 
  • The landscape transitions from the Sahara Desert in the north through the Sahel to the zone of Sudanian savanna in the south.
• It is one of the hottest nations on earth with an average temperature of 114.8 °F (46 °C) in the summer months.
• The Niger River flows through its interior, serving as its main source of water. 
• Although Mali is one of the largest countries in Africa, it has a relatively small population, which is largely centred along the Niger River. 
• There are many ethnic groups in Mali. The largest of them is Bambara, making up 36.5% of the population. 
• It gained independence from France in 1960.
• Languages: Bambara (most widely spoken), Dogon, Fulfulde, Manding, Arabic, Tuareg, French, etc.
• The key industry of Mali is agriculture, and its largest crop export is cotton. In addition, Mali is the third-largest gold exporter in Africa.

Q1: Niger River flows through which countries?

Niger, Guinea, Cote de Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Benin, Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria are the ten African countries that the river runs through.

Source: Dozens killed in Mali attack by Al-Qaeda affiliate