Mali (country). State in West Africa

Each country has many interesting features and details. You can tell a lot about any of them. Especially if it's a distant and exotic land. For example, the African Republic of Mali. What it is necessary to learn about it in the first place?

Geographical position

Mali can be found on the map in the west of the African continent. The territory of the country occupies almost one and a half million square kilometers, or more precisely - 1.24. Twenty-two thousand of them are occupied by water, and all the rest are land. The size of the country can be better represented if you know that it is comparable to South Africa or twice the size of Texas. The length of the border is seven thousand two hundred and forty-three kilometers. In the west of the country is Senegal, in the north - Algeria and Mauritania, in the east are Niger and Burkina Faso, in the south of Mali - the country of Cote d'Ivoire, formerly known as the Ivory Coast, as well as Guinea.

The capital and the region

As in any state, Mali has a complex system of administrative division. According to it, eight regions are allocated on the territory. A separate unit is the capital of Mali - Bamako. Areas are divided into districts, which in the country are two hundred and eighty-eight. In addition to administrative division, there is also a geographical one. The nature of Mali is divided into five large areas. These are deserts in the north of the state, the transitional region is the Sahel, two types of savannas and the territory of the Niger Delta.

Water pool

The largest river is Niger, which flows from Guinea, crosses the territory of Mali and heads north-east. There are a lot of branches, channels and lakes, as well as swamps. In the delta are facilities that allow the distribution of water for irrigation. Since the Republic of Mali is located in a fairly dry region, the availability of hydraulic engineering for it is of great importance. Part of the artificial irrigation canals repeats the historical course of the Niger. In the west of the country there is also the Senegal River, which appears as a result of the merger of Bakoy and Bafing. In its delta is the lowest point of Mali. The country is also distinguished by several hills. In the southwest, the sandstone of the mountains becomes a frame of the upper basin of Niger and Bani, which is a tributary.

Mountain ranges

In addition to the sandstone plateaus, there are other areas of the earth's crust as well. Especially the mountains between the cities of Gao and Mopti are expressed. In the east of the latter there is a remnant massif called Hombori. The highest point is a mountain of one hundred and fifty-five meters. This is a record not only of the massif, but of the whole country. Another major elevation is the Adrar-Iphoras plateau.

Vegetation

Despite the harsh hot climate that Africa differs from, Mali can boast of a variety of flora. Most of the territories cover a variety of shrubs and cereals. On the territory of the Sahel, there are acacias, palm trees of the doom species, baobabs, non-trees, kapok trees, karite, seyba, wild plums and other exotic varieties. In the south there are palm trees, Ronnie, Senegalese kayis, terminas, a variety of herbaceous plants.

Animal world

Fauna of Mali impresses with an incredible variety. In the territories of desert areas, there are often large antelopes - oryx, addax, and also gazelles, cheetahs, giraffes and striped hyenas. In savannahs live warthogs - African wild pigs, and a variety of predators - jackals, lions and leopards. Antelopes are widespread. Unfortunately, the number of elephants is constantly decreasing. Of considerable importance are the rivers and lakes of Mali. The country is engaged in fishing, the most valuable is the Nile perch, also known as the "captain". Widespread insects - bees, mosquitoes, termites, midges. Many species are dangerous to the health of animals and humans. The protection of the vegetation and animal state is handled by a national park called Bukle du Baule.

Natural resources

All kinds of resources necessary for the active development of the state are well represented in the territory of Mali. The country can boast of deposits of precious metals and stones - it produces gold and diamonds. In addition, copper mines, bauxites, manganese, uranium, granite, lithium, sodium chloride can be found in the mines of Mali. There is also kaolin clay in the country.

Climatic conditions

The country is in the tropical continental strip. To the south, where the capital of Mali is located, the climate is subequatorial. There alternate dry and rainy seasons. The first one lasts from November to June, and the second from July to October. During the dry season, the country is dominated by northeast winds, which lead to sandstorms. In the center of Mali, Bamako, there are impressive temperature fluctuations within one day - in the evenings, at night and early in the morning it is cool here, and by noon the thermometer shows more than thirty degrees of heat. In the region in the Sahara region there are winds of Harmatans, which are characterized by hurricane force. The temperature here reaches forty-five degrees of heat. The maximum amount of precipitation is different southern territories - here drops to a half thousand millimeters per year. Throughout the country there are regular droughts. In the Sahara, a hundred and fifty millimeters a year fall, while the town of Tambuktu has two hundred and thirty millimeters.

The Peoples of Mali

Virtually one hundred percent of the country's population is represented by Negroids. Only in some northern territories there are representatives of the Mediterranean type of Caucasians - Arabs and Tuaregs. Impressive ethnic diversity of Mali - the people of the country are estimated in dozens. Most of them belong to the Niger-Cordo-Fang language family, there are also representatives of the West-Atlantic, Afrasian and Voltaic. The most numerous people are the bambara, the bearers of the most common language. Such an ethnos can be found in the central part of the country. Next is the Malinke with representatives in the west. Like the previous one, this people is mainly engaged in farming and breeding cattle.

Both Senufo and Mande live in agriculture. On the shores of the Niger inhabit Songhai, engaged in nomadic cattle. In the most rocky regions are Dogons, surprisingly achieving success in agriculture in the most unfavorable regions. A separate mention worthy of the Tuareg. This is a nomadic people from the east. Arabs are engaged in cattle breeding and trade in the area of Lake Fagibin and in the Sahara. Despite the fact that this people is not the most widespread, it strongly influences the development of the state. Thus, the Muslim religion spread under their influence and became the majority's choice.

An interesting ethnos is Fulbe. Their appearance combines the signs of the Negroid and Caucasoid race. They have light brown skin. They inhabit Fulbe on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and on the territory of the Sahel, as well as in the Niger Delta. The population, not adhering to Muslim customs, preserves traditional beliefs. People worship plants, animals, stones, and also honor the spirits of their ancestors. It is interesting that some peoples accept Islam, but they retain certain pagan beliefs. The country is characterized by a high rate of population growth - for the last fifteen years the number of inhabitants has increased by more than two percent annually. Almost half of the citizens are under the age of fifteen, and representatives of the retirement age are not more than six percent.

State Symbols of Mali

Independence of the country is not so long ago. The symbolism appeared in 1961, after the country ceased to be part of the French community. As a flag, a canvas is used in the form of a quadrangle whose length refers to the width in the proportion of three to two. It is used on land for government, civil and military purposes. The flag is divided into three vertical bands of the same size. At the pole there is a light green strip, in the center - bright yellow, and with the edge - red. The first is a symbol of hope, fields and pastures, the agriculture on which the economy is based. In addition, it is a sign of constant innovation and modernization. Yellow denotes the wealth of subsoil, which belong to every inhabitant of the country. Finally, red is a sign of the struggle for freedom and independence. Previously, the flag of the colony was a French cloth, supplemented by a black figure of the kanaga. This is the image of a man who came up with the idea of the exclusivity of the Negroid race. The racist figure was removed from the symbolism in 1961. Unusually, but on the arms there are no colors of the flag. It is a blue disk on which is drawn a white falcon with a bow and arrows, complemented by a crown.