REPUBLIC OF MALI Official name: Republique de Mali (Republic of Mali) Location: West Africa International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The African Union, The Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, The Organisation of Islamic Conference, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mauretania, Niger, Senegal Coastline: None Land area: 1,240,000 Km2 Population: 11,300,000 Ethnicity: Most of Mali's people are of Sudanic West African stock. The largest groups are the Bambara (31%), the Fulani (14%), Senufo (12%), Soninke (9%) and Tuareg (8%). Languages: French is the official language. Most of the population speak Bambara or related West African languages.

Religion: About 90% of the population are Sunni Moslems. The remainder follow indigenous beliefs. Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. Mali is divided into eight regions.
Capital: Bamako
Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Mali came into effect on 12 January 1992.
Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the President. The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in the legislature and is accountable to it.
Legislature: Mali has a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), which has 160 members elected for five-year terms. Of these, 147 are elected from single-member constituencies and 13 are elected to represent citizens of Mali abroad.
Electoral authority: The Independent National Election Commission administers national elections.
Freedom House rating: Political Rights 2, Civil Liberties 3

Political history The area which is now Mali was the site of great African and Islamic civilisations during the mediaeval period. From the 16th century it was under the nominal sovereignty of Morocco. The French penetrated the area in the late 19th century and annexed it in stages between 1881 and 1895. A nationalist movement arose in the 1950s, and Mali became self-governing within the French Union in 1958 and independent in 1960.

The nationalist leader Modibo Keita became President, but in 1968 he was overthrown in a coup and replaced by Moussa Traoré, who set up a one-party military regime. This regime held power until 1991, when another coup brought Amadou Toumani Touré to power. Touré set up a Transitional Committee for the Salvation of the People, under whose auspices a new Constitution was drawn up. Free elections were held in 1992 and Alpha Oumar Konaré was elected President. Touré returned to power in 2002 as an elected President.

The largest parties in the legislature are the Rally for Mali and the Alliance for Democracy in Mali-Pan-African Party for Liberty, Solidarity and Justice.