Mali

Where the name comes from

Mali recalls the old empire of the same name; mali also means “hippopotamus” in Bamana and Maninka, though the link between the two is uncertain.

First people

Farmers lived along the Niger River for thousands of years, and Djenné-Djenno was one of Africa’s oldest towns.¹

Known for

The medieval Mali Empire grew rich through gold and Saharan trade, and in 1324 Mansa Musa gave away so much gold on pilgrimage that its value fell in Cairo; Timbuktu became a famous centre of learning.^2,3

Outside contact

France organized French Sudan in 1890.^4,5

The modern country

Independence in 1960 came through the Mali Federation, which broke up that year, leaving a separate Malian republic.⁴