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Mali: map, flag, capital and key facts

Mali is a country in Africa, in West Africa, with about 25.2 million people (2025) and an area of 1,240,190 square kilometres. Its capital is Bamako, and it shares land borders with 7 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Mali
Flag of Mali
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Mali in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Mali

CapitalBamako
ContinentAfrica
RegionWest Africa
Population25,198,821 2025, World Bank. 58th of 195.
Area1,240,190 km² (478,840 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 23rd largest of 195.
Population density20 people per km²
Land neighbours7: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal
Official nameRepublic of Mali
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates12.65° N, 8.00° W Bamako, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Mali borders 7 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

AlgeriaAlgiersBurkina FasoOuagadougouCôte d'IvoireYamoussoukro and AbidjanGuineaConakryMauritaniaNouakchottNigerNiameySenegalDakar

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Mali's 6, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 6

Where the Sahara meets the Sahel along the Niger River

Mali spans desert in the north and wetter savanna in the south. The Niger River bends through the southwestern quarter in a great arc, creating the Inner Niger Delta, a seasonal wetland that supports fishing, pastoralism, and rice cultivation for millions. Northern Mali is almost entirely Saharan, sparsely populated by Tuareg and Arab communities. The divide between the populated south around Bamako and the empty north is the fault line along which the country's political crises repeatedly fracture.

More on Inner Niger Delta

One of the world's largest inland wetlands, the delta floods seasonally between August and December, transforming roughly 30,000 square kilometers of arid terrain into productive fishing grounds and pasture. It supports an estimated two million people and is ecologically critical for migratory birds traveling between Europe and Africa.

5 more lenses on Mali in the app

  • STORY Timbuktu was a center of learning when Europe was in the Middle Ages
  • NOW A state losing control of its territory
  • STORY Music as a voice when politics fails
  • THREAD Mali's collapse ripples across the Sahel and beyond
  • NOW A passport, a tariff, a bank, an army

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Mali with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Mali?
The capital of Mali is Bamako. Bamako lies at about 12.7 degrees north and 8.0 degrees west. Mali is in Africa, in the region often called West Africa. It is home to about 25.2 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Mali?
About 25.2 million people live in Mali, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 58th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,240,190 square kilometres, that is about 20 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Mali?
Mali shares land borders with 7 countries: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. The map on this page outlines each of them around Mali. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Mali?
Mali covers 1,240,190 square kilometres, or about 478,840 square miles. That makes it the 23rd largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 25.2 million gives a density of 20 people per square kilometre.

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