Facts About Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in Western Africa. It is slightly less than twice the size of Texas. Its neighbors are Algeria, Burkina, Guinea, Cote d'Ivorie, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

 

It has a population of over 9 million people. The life expectancy at birth is a little over 46 years. The official language is French, Bambara is spoken by about 80% of the population. About 90% of the population are Muslim.

Right: pathway out of a deserted Dogon cliff village


Looking up from the pathway out of the deserted village

What appears to be some type of decoration is really a simple solution to a fundamental problem. The wooden staves (left) allow workers to easily climb the tower after each rainy season so they can apply a fresh layer of mud.

Whenever a mosque has an ostrich egg on the top of the tower (below) it means that the mosque is of particular importance

On September 22, 1960, Mali, formerly known as French Sudan, gained its independence from France. Like the United States, Mali has a republican form of government. It has a constitution that was adopted on January 12, 1992. Its legal system is based on French civil law.


Mali is an emerging nation. Bamako is a dynamic urban force beside the Niger River. The city's name means crocodile river. There is an energy running through the city as its people move forward toward what they hope is a better future. Even though red dust permeates Bamako's surroundings, there is no hiding the beauty and uniqueness of the people.

As with any journey, the first town is never completely appreciated because of the anticipation of what is to come. So it was with Bamako.

 

 


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Mungo Park

In 1788, a group of English gentlemen, who eventually became the African Association, passed a simple resolution that would be the foundation for future explorations of a continent that was not willingly revealing the secrets of its existence.

From this Association, Western explorers would be sponsored to solve one of the most intriguing questions about the mysterious continent known as Africa -- which direction did the Niger River flow? Was it merely a portion of another river? Where did its journey end -- the Atlantic or some unknown site?

Mungo Park made two unsuccessful attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the river known in Mali as Joliba, the "great waters." In 1805, he disappeared and was never heard from again. He was 34 years old. The circumstances surrounding his death will remain a mystery.