English in Mali
Elaina Carey
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Elaina Carey
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Geography
Mali is a landlocked country located in Western Africa. It shares a border with Algeria on the northwestern side, Niger to the east, Senegal and Mauritania on the west, as well as Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Cote D'Ivoire to the south. The climate of Mali is ranges from subtropical to arid; about 65 percent of land in the country is desert or semidesert. In total, Mali is comprised of 1,240,000 square kilometers. It has a population of about 18,439,893 with the vast majority of people living in the southern half of the country, mostly concentrated near the Burkina Faso border. The capital of the country is Bamako, which lies in the south on the Niger river. |
A map displaying the location of Mali and bordering countries
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The Great Mosque of Djenné, the largest mud structure in the world, built in 1907
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People
Mali's population is made up of many diverse ethnic groups. The largest ethnic group in Mali are the Bambara which constitute about 34 percent of the population. There are also the Fulani (15%), Sarakole (11%), Senufo (11%), Dogon (9%), Malinke (9%), Bobo (3%), Songhai (1.5%), and Tuareg (1%). Because of the ethnic diversity of the country, there are 13 national languages along with the official language of French. Approximately 95 percent of Malians are Muslim. The other most common religions are Christianity and Animism. A total of 31.1 percent of the population is literate made up mostly of males. The population of Mali is rapidly increasing, likely to double by 2035. This growth is mainly due to Mali having the third highest fertility rate in the world. |