to CFAF 100 per
French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year:
calendar year

@Mali, Communications

Railroads:
642 km 1.000-meter gauge; linked to Senegal's rail system through
Kayes
Highways:
total:
15,700 km
paved:
1,670 km
unpaved:
gravel, improved earth 3,670 km; unimproved earth 10,360 km
Inland waterways:
1,815 km navigable
Airports:
total:
33
usable:
27
with permanent-surface runways:
8
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
5
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
11
Telecommunications:
domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service with
radio relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of
radio relay in progress; 11,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM,
2 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT

@Mali, Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police
(Surete Nationale)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,803,301; fit for military service 1,027,780
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $41 million, 2% of GDP (1989)

@Malta, Geography

Location:
Southern Europe, in the central Mediterranean Sea, 93 km south of
Sicily (Italy), 290 km north of Libya
Map references:
Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
320 sq km
land area:
320 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
140 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
25 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain:
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Natural resources:
limestone, salt
Land use:
arable land:
38%
permanent crops:
3%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
fresh water very scarce; increasing reliance on desalination
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity