Mali Geography:
Location:
Western Africa, southwest of Algeria
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references:
Area:
total:
1.24 million sq km
land:
1.22 million sq km
water:
20,000 million sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 7,243 km
border countries: Algeria 1376 km, Burkina Faso 1000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
(landlocked)
Climate:
Subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February
Terrain:
Mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Senegal River 23 m
highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
Natural resources:
Gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
note: Bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
Land use:
arable land: 3.82%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 96.15%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
1,380 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding
Environment - current issues:
Deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan |
