sits are
known but not exploited

Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 67% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 780 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry
seasons; recurring droughts

Environment--current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban

Geography--note: landlocked

People

Population: 10,429,124 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 2,482,301; female 2,460,894)
15-64 years: 49% (male 2,447,712; female 2,708,978)
65 years and over: 4% (male 155,178; female 174,061) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.01% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 49.5 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 18.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 119.44 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.5 years
male: 46.09 years
female: 48.96 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.96 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Malian(s)
adjective: Malian

Ethnic groups: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%,
Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%

Religions: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

Languages: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 31%
male: 39.4%
female: 23.1% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local long form: Republique de Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan

Data code: ML

Government type: republic

Capital: Bamako

Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular--region);
Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mop