Mali

• Country summary
• Permits
• Exploration programme
• Exploration results

Country summary

General information

Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (French: République du Mali), is a landlocked nation in Western Africa covering 1.2 million km². Most of the country lies in the southern Sahara, which produces a hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons. The country extends southwest through the subtropical Sahel to the Sudanian savanna zone. Mali is mostly flat, rising to rolling northern plains covered by sand.

Mali is the seventh largest country in Africa, bordering Algeria in the north, Niger in the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire in the south, Guinea in the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania in the west. Bamako is the capital with a population of approximately 1.8 million people.

Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and some 80% of the labour force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity has traditionally been concentrated on processing farm commodities, primarily cotton, followed since 1996 by gold operations.

Government organisation

In the late 1800s, Mali fell under French control, becoming part of French Sudan. Mali gained independence in 1959, with Senegal, as the Mali Federation. A year later, Senegal withdrew from the federation and the Mali Federation became the independent nation of Mali. 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. Mali now has a republican form of government, and has completed four presidential elections – the latest in April 2007, won by Amadou Toumani Touré for his second and last term of office.

Mining industry

Since 1996, foreign mining companies have increased gold mining operations in the country following the discoveries of large gold deposits such as Sadiola Hill, Yatela, Morila, and Sabadala. Mali, has become a major sub-Saharan gold exporter with approximately $672 million in gold exports in 2003, ranking second after cotton exports. Deposits of copper, tin, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, uranium and diamonds can be found in the country but only gold and phosphate are actually mined. Total gold production has significantly increased on an annual basis and in 2002 amounted to 55.6 tonnes. Mali is the third largest gold-producing country in Africa, behind South Africa and Ghana.

Trasnafrika permit areas