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History A part of today’s Republic of Mali once belonged to the great Ghana Empire, which was probably founded around 600 AC by the Soninké. The wealthy rulers resided in the town of Koumbi Saleh in modern-day southern Mauretania where ruins were discovered that are believed to be the capital of the ancient Ghana Empire. From there, they controlled the trans-Saharan trade, especially the trade in gold was the key to Ghana’s prosperity. The empire was at its zenith in the 11th century when it extended from the River Senegal in the west to the banks of the River Niger in the east and deep into the Sahara Desert in the north. When the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty of Morocco, conquered Ghana in 1076 the first great empire in the western Sudan began to decline and never recovered from its fall. In the 13th century the young king of the Malinké tribe Soundiata Keita lay the foundation for the rise of a new empire: Mali. During his reign it stretched from the Fouta Djallon Highlands in today’s Guinea to the Niger inland delta. However, the most successful and important ruler of the Mali Empire was Kankan Moussa, who set off on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 stopping off in Cairo where he gave away so much gold that the Egyptian gold market crashed. During Kankan (or Mansa) Moussa’s reign the Mali Empire was at its height, huge gold fields and the trade in salt and slaves were the reason for its immense wealth. At that time Mali stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the border of modern-day Nigeria. It was also a time of peace in which important historic buildings were created and architecture and art were at their peak. Kankan Moussa’s successors were not able to consolidate and expand their power and at the beginning of the 15th century the Mali Empire had started to decline. The second half of the 15th century saw the rise of a new dynasty. Sonni Ali Ber, a Songhay leader, took power in 1464 and considerably expanded the Songhay territory to consolidate his supremacy in the region. By 1476 he controlled the land from the Niger inland delta to the west of Timbuktu. At his death in 1492 he was succeeded by his son Sonni Barou who was overthrown one year later by one of his father’s commanders named Mohamed Touré. Tourč took the title of “Askia” and founded a new dynasty of Songhay rulers who dominated the Songhay Empire for almost one century. At that time, the empire was at its zenith, Timbuktu became a celebrated center of Islamic learning and a university town and the empire’s territory was greatly expanded stretching from the Senegal River in the west to modern-day Nigeria in the east. When the Moroccans invaded Songhay in 1590 it included large parts of the modern nations of Senegal, Mauretania, Mali and Niger. The Moroccan conquest only one year later led to the fall of the great Songhay Empire. Although the Moroccans stayed for two centuries, they never managed to dominate the region. Their influence was limited to Djenné, Gao, and Timbuktu. They could never exercise the same power as the empires of Mali and Songhay. So between the 17th and 19th centuries some regional kingdoms emerged. In the 17th century two Bambara kingdoms were founded along the Niger River, the Kaarta Kingdom in the east and the more powerful Bambara kingdom of Segou in the west. Despite their disputes and competition they banded together in the 19th century to defend themselves against El Hadj Oumar Tall, founder and ruler of des Tukulor Empire, and his army. But they were both defeated, Kaarta in 1854 and Segou in 1862. The Islamic theocracy Tukulor Empire controlled the region in the second half of the 19th century, however they could not resist the onslaught of the French army in 1890. The second half of the 19th century saw the French advance eastward from the Senegal River towards Mali. In 1880 the western part of Mali was renamed Upper Senegal and Kayes became its capital. In 1883 the French army reached Bamako, a small village at that time. During the last decade of the century the French conquered first Ségou in 1890, then Timbuktu in 1893 and Sikasso in 1898, where Samory Touré fought ferociously againt the French invaders. The region was governed under a number of different names between 1880 and 1960. In 1904 the name changed to Upper Senegal and Niger and in 1920 back to French Sudan, the colony’s name from 1890 until 1899. which remained unchanged until the dissolution of French West Africa in 1958. In 1959 Senegal and former French Sudan formed the Mali Federation, but already one year later, in 1960, the federation was dissolved. On 22 september 1960 the former Sudanese Republic was granted its independence and became the Republic of Mali. Its name was adopted from the great ancient Mali Empire. Modibo Keita, who pursued a socialist policy, became its first president. In 1968 a number of young army officers led by lieutenant Moussa Traoré carried out a coup d’état which brought Traoré to power. His repressive rule led to pro-democracy campaigns and students’ protests in 1991. When Traoré used military force to suppress a demonstration killing more than 100 people he was overthrown in a coup d’etat. Lieutenant-colonel Amadou Toumani Touré, leader of the coup and former head of Traoré's personal guard presided over a year-long military-civilian transition process. One year later, the country adopted a new constitution, introducing a multiparty political system. In 1992 Alpha Oumar Konaré became Mali’s first democratically elected president. He also won the elections in 1997 and stepped down peacefully in 2002 as the constituation lprohibited him from running for a third term. Amadou Toumani Touré, affectionately called ATT, the former transitional president became new head ot the state. In 2012 he was ousted by a coup d’état led by Amadou Haya Sanogo. In 2013, democratic presidential elections were held. which were won by Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, also know as IBK. He was sworn in on 4 September 2013. Population Mali is one of the least densely populated countries in Africa. The majority of its population lives in the south of the country along the Niger and Senegal rivers. About 10 % of Mali’s estimated 15 million inhabitants live in Greater Bamako. They belong to different ethnic groups. The Bambara in the south of Mali are the largest group, who comprise about 30% of the overall population. The second-largest group are the nomadic or semi-nomadic Fula (also known as Peulh or Fulbe), who are found all over the country with their huge herds of cattle. The north of the country is mainly inhabited by the nomadic Tuareg, the Maurs and the sedentary Songhay. Other ethnic groups are the Bozo, located predominantly along the Niger River and famous for their fishing; the Senufo, Bobo, Dioula and Mossi living near the border with Burkina Faso; the Dogon, sedentary farmers living along the Bandiagara Escarpment; the Malinké, descendants of the rulers of the Mali Empire found in the west of the country; the Tukulor originally from Senegal; the Soninké, also known as Sarakollé or Marka, predominantly living in the region between the Senegal and the Niger Rivers; the Bella or Ikelan, the traditional slaves of the Tuareg; Religions About 85% of Mali’s population is Muslim, Christians constitute about 5 %, two-third of them are Roman Catholic and one-third Protestants. The rest of the population practises traditional beliefs. Many people retain traditional beliefs alongside Christian and Muslim religion. Islam has always been moderate and tolerant in Mali being a secular state which guarantees freedom of religion. The relations between Muslims, Christians and adherents of traditional beliefs are generally amicable. Languages The official language of Mali is French, but there are more than 40 languages and dialects spoken in the country. About 80 percent of Mali's population can communicate in Bambara, which is the most widely spoken national language and serves as a lingua franca. Other languages with the legal status of national language are Fulfulde, Dogon, Tamasheq, Senufo, Songhay, Soninké, Senufo, Bomu, Malinké, Bozo and Arabic. Plant Life and Wildlife Plant Life In the desert regions of the Sahara plant life is extremely sparse. Plants can be found around oases. At the border of the desert, in the semi-arid Sahel, sclerophyllous and succulent plants, grasses, acacias and tamarisks can predominantly be seen. The landscape between Ségou and Mopti is characterized by scattered baobab (Adansonia digitata), mango (Mangifera indica), shea-butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) and neem trees (Azadirachta indica). In the Koulikoro region the red silk cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) is found. This lovely tree with its red to orange flowers is native to tropical Asia. Ségou is also called the city of 4444 balanzan trees, a thorny tree (Faidherbia or Acacia albida), remarkably losing its leaves in the early rainy season, thus fertilizing crops. In the more humid southern part of Mali the large silk cotton or kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) with its impressive buttress-roots is commonly found. Another large tree, one of Africa’s finest hardwoods, grows in the moister regions: the African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) also known as cailcédrat, a beautiful tree up to 30 m high, with a wide dense crown. There are only two species of palm trees in Mali, the Doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica) and the borassus palm (Borassus aethiopum), a kind of fan palm. Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) is widespread in the area around Djenné and Bandiagara. Its leaves are used for the production of traditional indigo-dyed textiles. Tree savanna and gallery forests grow in the wetter part of soouthern Mali. Wildlife Due to advancing desertification, hunting, large-scale poaching and expanding agriculture the Mali’s wildlife is not abundant. The most famous big game still to be found in the country are the desert-adapted elephants of Gourma. Each year, they migrate up to 800 kilometres in search of water and food. During a visit to the Réserve de Douentza travellers might spot them, however, like any safari it is a question of good timing and luck. Hippos still live in the Niger River, predominantly between Gao and Ansongo, but also a boat ride from Mopti to Timbuktu offers the opportunity to see Africa’s most dangerous animal. Antelope have become rare, only the Dorcas gazelle and the red-fronted gazelle may be found in some places. The golden jackal (Canis aureus), important in the divination rituals of the Dogon people, is still living in the region of Bandiagara and in other dry areas. Side-striped jackals are more commonly seen in Mali’s wetter areas. There are still some lions living in the region of the Falémé River, Cheetahs are very rare. Some primate species may be found in the Boucle du Baoulé National Park. However, it is difficult to get into the park and illegal hunting and poaching are common. 655 bird species have been recorded in Mali, only one of the is endemic: the grey-backed firefinch. The River Niger, especially the inland delta offer good opportunities to watch birds. On a boat ride, black-headed heron, spur-winged lapwing, crocodile-bird. black kite, pied kingfisher, bee-eater and many other species are commonly seen. In the Dogon Country the Abyssinian roller is widespread. Enthusiasts should use a field guide to birds of West Africa. Crocodiles may be encountered in places where they are held sacred by the ethnic groups. A wide variety of snakes is found in Mali, but they are very shy and unlikely to be seen. Other reptiles commonly seen in Burkina are lizard, agama species and the common house gecko. Geography With an area of more than 1,240,000 square kilometres Mali is one of the largest countries in Africa. It is bordered by Ivory Coat in the south, Guinea in the south-west, Senegal and Mauritania in the west, Niger and Burkina Faso in the east and southeast and Algeria in the north and northeast where its borders reach deep into the Sahara Desert. It stretches from the wet savanna or Sudanian savanna zone in the south through the dry savanna of the Sahel to the desert so the country can be divided into three climatic and vegetation zones—the Sudanic, the Sahelian, and the desert zones. Two-thirds of the country are covered with sand. Its landscape is largely flat and monotonous characterized by extensive plains dotted with inselbergs. Mali’s highest point is Mount Hombori Tondo, which rises to a height of 1,155 metres (3,789 feet). In the southwest the Mandingue Plateau near Bamako, extensions of the Fouta Djallon Highlands in Guinea, attains a height of about 600 metres (2,000 feet). In the Kidal Region in the northeast the Adrar des Ifoghas, a sandstone massif, extends into Algeria. In the southeast near the border to Burkina Faso, the Bandiagara Escarpment, a sandstone chain with a length of approximately 200 kilometers rises about 350 metres above the Gondo Plain. Extending about 4,200 kilometers in length the Niger is mali’s largest river and one of the largest rivers Africa. Its source is in the Fouta Djallon Highlands in Guinea. It runs through Mali and Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, before emptying into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. For Mali it provides an important means of communication and the country’s lifeline. It forms Africa’s second largest inland delta which covers approximately 20.000km˛ and is Mali’s largest freshwater reservoir providing fertile alluvial soil. Mali’s other important river is the Senegal in the western part of the country. It is formed by the confluence of the Semefé also known as Bakoye and Bafing rivers coming together at Bafoulabéi. It is 1086 km long and pours into the Atlantic Ocean in Senegal near the town of St. Louis. Economy The majority of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture and livestock farming. The most important agricultural products are millet, sorghum, rice, maize, cassava, and yams. Alongside sugar cane and ground nuts, cotton is the country's largest crop export. Mali and other cotton-producing countries in West Africa suffer from the fall in world cotton prices and the subsidy support that the US and Europe give to their own farmers. About 30% of the population depend on this sector. The country also exports livestock, tabac and tea cultivated in the south.The most fertile areas for agriculture are located on the banks of the Niger River and in the Sikasso region. About two-thirds of the country is part of the Sahara Desert or covered with infertile dry savanna. Fishing is also of considerable importance, not only providing a considerable food supply for the population, but also constituting an export good. Dry and smoked fish is exported to the neighbouring countries such as Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Industry is considerably less important than agriculture to Mali’s economy. It makes up approximately 17% of gross domestic product. Mali has a small industrial sector, mostly enterprises producing textiles and consumer goods As in the ancient times of the Mali Empire the country’s great potential wealth lies in mining. Gold is Mali's most important natural resource and its leading export product, Mali has the third highest gold production in Africa. Other significant natural resources include uranium, phosphate and salt. The service sector accounts for about 40 % of gross domestic product. Tourism has played an important role for Mali's economy, now it stagnates due to the political crisis.
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