20 Interesting Facts About Mali

The African country of Mali is not exactly a recommended destination for a well-deserved vacation. Unstable political conditions, widespread poverty, sky-high levels of corruption, and other factors keep this country on the list of the least prosperous on the planet. Global problems shake the country one after another, with no improvement in sight.

Facts About Mali:

1. A significant part of this troubled state is controlled by several radical organizations that are considered terrorist groups by the international community.
2. From the 13th to the 17th century, the powerful Mali Empire was located here. The modern name of the country is a reference to those times.
3. About 20 million people live in Mali, which is approximately 3.5 million fewer than in Shanghai, the most populous city in the world, located in China.
4. The first humans appeared on the territory of Mali around the beginning of the 4th millennium BCE. And just a thousand years later, they began to master the basics of agriculture.
5. When it was a colony of France, these lands were known by a different name—French Sudan. The French language remains one of the two official languages here.
6. Many buildings in Mali are made of clay bricks. These bricks are not very durable because they are sun-dried rather than kiln-fired.
7. There is a lake in Mali called Antogo, which is considered sacred by the locals. Fishing in it is only allowed one day a year during a special festival.
8. The Malian town of Niono is built on water and is crisscrossed by numerous streams and canals. However, it still doesn’t quite resemble Venice.
9. In 1968, 1991, and 2012, military coups took place in Mali. The most recent one significantly reduced the already scarce flow of tourists, depriving the country of yet another source of foreign currency.
10. A large portion of Malian territory is as flat as a table. About 90% of the land here is an endless plain with sparse vegetation.
11. There is only one university in the entire country. For a long time, it was even closed for a very unusual reason—lack of interest in obtaining an education.
12. The total strength of the Malian army does not exceed 7,500 soldiers.
13. Mali ranks among the top countries in the world in terms of population growth. Despite this, due to the rudimentary state of medicine, the country ranks fourth in the world in the grim statistic of infant mortality.
14. The average life expectancy in Mali is just over 50 years. By this measure, the country doesn’t even make the top 200 in the world.
15. Officially, Mali is a secular Muslim state. However, nearly the entire population is extremely religious, which the Malians take great pride in.
16. According to statistics, just over a third of the population lives far below the poverty line.
17. Mali ranks first in Africa for the production and export of cotton.
18. The only well-known Malian writer, Yambo Ouologuem, once won the prestigious Renaudot literary prize in France. However, it was soon revoked when it was discovered that the book for which he received the award was “borrowed” from British writer Graham Greene, and presented as his own.
19. In rural Mali, the monthly salary hovers around 50-60 US dollars. This country has long been on the list of the poorest in the world.
20. The name of Mali’s capital, Bamako, translates from the local Bambara language as “river of crocodiles.” There are indeed many crocodiles here, and three of these reptiles are even depicted on the capital’s coat of arms.