Mali
Type of Government: Republic
Independence: 1960 from France
Head of State: President Amadou Toumani Toure (since June 8, 2002)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 173
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 118
Political Development: The country’s dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government. President Alpha Konare won Mali’s first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali’s two-term constitutional limit, Konare stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toure.
Adult HIV Rate: 1.9%
Life Expectancy: 49.51
GDP: $5.847 billion
Inflation: 4.5%
Poverty: 64%
Petroleum: N/A
Leading Export Partner: China (35.2%)
Economic Note: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semi desert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold.
