African Members of FOCAC

　　Mali

　　（Updated February 2018）

　　【Official Name】Republic of Mali

　　【Area】 1.24 million km²

　　【Population】18.69 million (2017). Mali is home to 23 ethnic groups, which mainly include the Bambara (34% of the total population), the Fula (11%), the Senufo (9%), the Seraculeh (8%), and so forth. Each ethnic group speaks its native language. The official language of Mali is French while Bambara is also commonly used (its written language appear since 1972). Approximately 80% Malians are Muslims, 18% Fetishists, and 2% Roman Catholics and Protestants.

　　【Capital】Bamako with a population of 2.8 million (2016). The average temperature in April, the hottest month, is around 34 to 39℃ while that in January, the coldest month, is around 16 to 33℃.

　　【Head of State】President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita since 4 September 2013

　　【Holidays】Independence Day (22 September)

　　【Geography and Climate】Mali is located in west Africa largely within the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. As a landlocked country, it is bordered by Mauritania and Senegal to the west, Algeria to the north, Niger to the east, and Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to the south. Mali has a dry and hot desert climate in the north and a tropical savanna climate in the central and southern regions. There are two distinct seasons annually: the rainy season lasting from June to October and the dry season from November to May. The highest temperature in the dry season is 50℃, while the lowest in the rainy season is 14℃.