Everything about Mali totally explained
Mali, officially the
Republic of Mali (
French:
République du Mali), is a
landlocked nation in
Western Africa. It is the seventh largest country in
Africa. It borders
Algeria on the north,
Niger on the east,
Burkina Faso and the
Côte d'Ivoire on the south,
Guinea on the south-west, and
Senegal and
Mauritania on the west. Its straight borders on the north stretch into the centre of the
Sahara, while the country's south, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the
Niger and
Senegal rivers.
The area of present-day Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled
trans-Saharan trade: the
Ghana Empire, the
Mali Empire (from which Mali takes its name), and the
Songhai Empire. In the late 1800s, Mali fell under French control, becoming part of
French Sudan. Mali gained its independence, with Senegal, as the
Mali Federation in 1959, becoming the independent nation of Mali in 1960. After a long period of one-party rule, a 1991 coup led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state.
History
The area now constituting the nation of Mali was once part of three famed West African empires that controlled
trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, and other precious commodities. These
Sahelian kingdoms had neither rigid geopolitical boundaries nor rigid ethnic identities.
The
Mali Empire later arose on the upper
Niger River, reaching the height of its power in the 14th century. The subsequent military-led regime, with Traoré as president, attempted to reform the economy, but its efforts were frustrated by political turmoil and a devastating 1968-1974 drought. The country extends southwest through the
subtropical Sahel to the
Sudanian savanna zone. The system of government can be described as "semi-presidential." The president serves as
chief of state and
commander in chief of the armed forces. A prime minister appointed by the president serves as head of government and in turn appoints the Council of Ministers. The unicameral National Assembly is Mali’s sole legislative body, consisting of deputies elected to five-year terms. Following the 2007 elections, the
Alliance for Democracy and Progress held 113 of 160 seats in the assembly. The assembly holds two regular sessions each year, during which it debates and votes on legislation that has been submitted by a member or by the government.
Mali’s constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but the executive continues to exercise influence over the judiciary by virtue of its power to appoint judges and oversee both judicial functions and law enforcement. Various lower courts exist, though village chiefs and elders resolve most local disputes in rural areas. Since the
institution of a democratic form of government in 2002, Mali’s relations with the West in general and
with the United States in particular have improved significantly. The military is underpaid, poorly equipped, and in need of rationalization. The population is predominantly
rural (68% in 2002), and 5–10% of Malians are
nomadic. About 80% of Mali’s population can communicate in
Bambara, which is the country’s principal
lingua franca and marketplace language. Mali's health and development indicators rank among the worst in the world. Medical facilities in Mali are very limited, and medicines are in short supply. Mali has always been one of Africa's liveliest intellectual centers.
Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Mali's best-known historian, spent much of his life recording these oral traditions. Most Malians wear flowing, colorful robes called
boubous that are typical of
West Africa. Malians frequently participate in traditional festivals, dances, and ceremonies. Malian cuisine varies regionally. which became more prominent after Mali hosted the
2002 African Cup of Nations. Most towns have regular games; the
Mali women's national basketball team is the only African basketball team competing at the 2008
Beijing Olympics. Traditional
wrestling (
la lutte) is also somewhat common, though its popularity has declined in recent years.
[ The game wari, a mancala variant, is a common pastime.][Further Information]
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