The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation.

When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali.

Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government.

President Alpha Konare won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997.

In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, Konare stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toure.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 11,995,402 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 2,921,914/female 2,853,976) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 2,891,494/female 2,959,142) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 149,301/female 219,575) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 15.9 years male: 15.4 years female: 16.3 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 2.681% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 49.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 16.51 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -6.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.024 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.977 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 105.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 115.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 95.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.51 years male: 47.6 years female: 51.46 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 7.38 children born/woman (2007 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 12,000 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian

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

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

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

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.)

Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2006. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.77 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $5.847 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.)

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Labor force: 3.93 million (2001 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2001 est.)

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Unemployment rate: 14.6% (2001 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 64% (2001 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 40.4% (1994)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.5 (1994)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2002 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $764 million expenditures: $828 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

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Agriculture - products: cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats

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Industries: food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

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Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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Electricity - production: 410 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 381.3 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 4,300 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Exports: $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Exports - commodities: cotton, gold, livestock

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Exports - partners: China 36.1%, Thailand 9.5%, Bangladesh 5.4%, Australia 5.1% (2006)

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Imports: $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Imports - commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles

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Imports - partners: Senegal 13.8%, France 12.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.2% (2006)

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Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2002)

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Economic aid - recipient: $472.1 million (2002)

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Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year