World Factbook
Mali
République de Mali
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
1,220,190 sq km
water
20,002 sq km
total
1,240,192 sq km
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
Land use
other
55.8% (2023 est.)
forest
8.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
35.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 6.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 28.4% (2023 est.)
Location
interior Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Senegal River 23 m
highest point
Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
mean elevation
343 m
Irrigated land
3,780 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Lullemeden-Irhazer Basin, Taodeni-Tanezrouft Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
7,908 km
border countries
Algeria 1,359 km; Burkina Faso 1,325 km; Cote d'Ivoire 599 km; Guinea 1,062 km; Mauritania 2,236 km; Niger 838 km, Senegal 489 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding
Geography - note
landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan
Natural resources
gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Geographic coordinates
17 00 N, 4 00 W
Population distribution
the overwhelming majority of the population lives in the southern half of the country, with greater density along the border with Burkina Faso, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lac Faguibine - 590 sq km note - the Niger River is the only source of water for the lake; in recent years the lake is dry
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Senegal (456,397 sq km), Volta (410,991 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Niger (shared with Guinea [s], Niger, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Senegal (shared with Guinea [s], Senegal, and Mauritania [m]) - 1,641 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth