Mali

The Country and Environment

Mali, a landlocked nation in West Africa covering approximately 465,000 square miles, is the second largest country amongst West African nations. The nation is almost three times the size of the state of California. To the west it borders Senegal and Mauritania and to the east, Nigeria. To the north lies Algeria and to the south Burkina Faso and Côte d'lovoire. Guinea lies to the south-west.

The nation was once the home of the great and rich empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. For centuries, the empires traded gold and slaves for salt and textiles from markets along the Mediterranean Sea. In modern times, however, Mali ranks among the world's poorest countries, with a Human Development Index of 174 out of 177 countries.+

River boat

Formerly known as French Sudan, the country is named after the Empire of Mali. The name itself (Mali) comes from the Bambara word for hippopotamus and the animal appears on the Mali 5 franc coin.

Mali's generally flat land has three distinct regions:

• The northern region forms part of the Sahara desert - a vast, barren land that also extends into other countries in northern Africa. In some places in the desert, a region of shifting sands, called an 'erg' appears. Rain rarely falls in this region and temperatures often soar to 140° F.

• The central region consists of the Sahel grasslands and is subject to desertification. Despite the drought conditions in this region, some herders still manage to raise livestock which feed off the scrubby vegetation and drink from seasonal watering holes. Rainfall in this region varies from 7 to 20 inches a year and temperatures generally stay between 80° and 100° degrees F.

• The southern region has a humid savannah vegetation. This area is irrigated by the two major rivers, the Senegal and the Niger and is home to most of the population of Mali. This region contains some of the richest agricultural land in Africa as well as significant gold deposits. In this region, the rainy seasons are of varying lengths, usually starting in May or June and finishing in late October. Temperatures range from 75° to 95° F.

Eucalyptus wood

Camel in the desert

Eucalytus Plantation