From the richest man who has ever lived to the world’s largest mud structure, these are the most interesting facts about Mali.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Mali
Capital city: Bamako
Population: 21,990,607
Area: 1,240,192 sq km
Major languages: French, Bambara
Time zone: UTC 0 (GMT)
Interesting facts about Mali
1. Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. A landlocked country is completely enclosed by land with no access to the open sea.
2. The discovery of rock art in the Sahara suggests that Mali has been inhabited since 10,000 BC when the Sahara was fertile and rich in wildlife.
3. The Mali Empire was one of the largest and most widely known pre-colonial African states. It was founded in the 11th century and lasted until the late 16th century when it was conquered by Morocco.
4. Mansa Musa, who was king of the Mali Empire from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E., is believed to be the wealthiest man who has ever lived.
5. The Songhai Empire was also located in Mali during the 15th and 16th centuries. A great trading state of West Africa, the empire centred on the Niger River and eventually extended all the way to the Atlantic coast and east into Niger and Nigeria.
6. The UNESCO-listed Tomb of Askia was built by Askia Mohamed, the Emperor of Songhai, in 1495. The complex includes a pyramidal tomb, two mosques, a cemetery and an open-air assembly ground.
7. In 1898, France colonised Mali and named it French Sudan.
8. In 1959, Mali gained independence as the Sudanese Republic (previously French Sudan) – part of the Mali Federation, an alliance linking Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (Mali).
9. In 1960, the federation dissolved and Mali became completely independent as the Republic of Mali.
10. Founded in the 5th century, the UNESCO-listed city of Timbuktu was a key trading post and centre of Islamic culture, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries.
11. Mali’s Great Mosque of Djenné, constructed in 1907, is the world’s largest mud-brick building.
12. Every April, residents of Djenné maintain the walls of the mosque during a one-day festival called Crépissage (Plastering) where they reconstruct the walls with mud.
13. The Old Towns of Djenné are a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprised of nearly 2,000 traditional houses built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from seasonal floods. The town has been inhabited since 250 BC and was an essential link in the trans-Saharan gold trade.
14. By total surface area, Mali is Africa’s 8th largest country and the world’s 25th largest.
15. At just 59 years, Mali has a lower-than-average life expectancy. The global average life expectancy is 73.3 years.
16. Mali has a vertically striped green, yellow and red flag. The colours, which later came to be known as the “pan-African colours”, are also used in the national flags of Ethiopia, Ghana and Guinea.
17. Mali is recognised for its thriving music scene and its most famous musician is singer-songwriter Salif Keita, who is known as the “golden voice of Africa”.
18. Mali is home to the Festival au Désert, a music festival known as the “African Woodstock”. Unfortunately, the festival has not been held since 2012 due to security concerns.
19. Mali has the world’s fourth-highest total fertility rate (TFR), with 5.35 births per woman. Data shows the global average is 2.2 in 2021.
20. Since independence, Mali has suffered from droughts, rebellions, coups and 23 years of military dictatorship. Following the 1991 coup, democratic elections were held in 1992 for the first time after General Traore seized power in 1968.
21. The UNESCO-listed Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) is a 150km-long sandstone cliff. The cliff features 289 villages inhabited by the Dogon people.
22. Mali has been plagued by sustained violence from Tuareg separatist rebels who seek an independent state and jihadist insurgencies. In 2013, French troops intervened militarily upon the Mali government’s request. UN peacekeeping forces remain in the country.
23. According to the U.S. Department of State travel advisory, Mali is deemed to be entirely unsafe for tourists to visit due to its violent crime.
24. Mali’s capital city Bamako means either “crocodile tail” or “crocodile river” in the Bambara language. Three crocodiles appear on the city’s seal.
25. Mali is home to part of the Sahara desert, the largest desert in the world.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.