Overview:
Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of
its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely
confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the
population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged
in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on
processing farm commodities. In consultation with international
lending agencies, the government has adopted a structural adjustment
program for 1992-95, aiming at GDP annual growth of 4.6%, inflation of
no more than 2.5% on average, and a substantial reduction in the
external current account deficit.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - 5.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-6.1% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$650 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$376 million
expenditures:
$697 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
$330 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
cotton, livestock, gold
partners:
mostly franc zone and Western Europe
Imports:
$682 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, construction materials,
petroleum, textiles
partners:
mostly franc zone and Western Europe
External debt:
$2.6 billion (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -1.4% (1992 est.); accounts for 13.0% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
260,000 kW
production:
750 million kWh
consumption per capita:
90 kWh (1991)
Industries:
small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate,
gold, fishing
Agriculture:
accounts for 50% of GDP; most production based on small subsistence
farms; cotton and livestock products account for over 70% of exports;
other crops - millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; livestock -
cattle, sheep, goats
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $349 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.02
billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $92 million; Communist
countries (1970-89), $190 million
Currency:
1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05
(January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26
(1990), 319.01 (1989)
note:
beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per
French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Mali, Communications
Railroads:
642 km 1.000-meter gauge; linked to Senegal's rail system through
Kayes
Highways:
total:
15,700 km
paved:
1,670 km
unpaved:
gravel, improved earth 3,670 km; unimproved earth 10,360 km
Inland waterways:
1,815 km navigable
Airports:
total:
33
usable:
27
with permanent-surface runways:
8
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
5
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
11
Telecommunications:
domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service with
radio relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of
radio relay in progress; 11,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM,
2 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT
@Mali, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police
(Surete Nationale)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,803,301; fit for military service 1,027,780
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $41 million, 2% of GDP (1989)
@Malta, Geography
Location:
Southern Europe, in the central Mediterranean Sea, 93 km south of
Sicily (Italy), 290 km north of Libya
Map references:
Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
320 sq km
land area:
320 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
140 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
25 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain:
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Natural resources:
limestone, salt
Land use:
arable land:
38%
permanent crops:
3%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
fresh water very scarce; increasing reliance on desalination
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity
Note:
the country comprises an archipelago, with only the 3 largest islands
(Malta, Gozo, and Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good
harbors
@Malta, People
Population: 366,767 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 0.79% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 13.56 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 7.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.77 years male: 74.53 years female: 79.18 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese Ethnic divisions: Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English Religions: Roman Catholic 98% Languages: Maltese (official), English (official) Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 84% male: 86% female: 82% Labor force: 127,200 by occupation: government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1990)
@Malta, Government