Editing Mali (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Mali}}
[[File:Mali sat.png|Satellite image of Mali|thumb]]

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa, located southwest of [[Algeria]]. It lies between latitudes [[10th parallel north|10°]] and [[25th parallel north|25°N]], and longitudes [[13th meridian west|13°W]] and [[5th meridian east|5°E]]. Mali borders Algeria to [[Algeria–Mali border|the north-northeast]], [[Niger]] to [[Mali–Niger border|the east]], [[Burkina Faso]] to [[Burkina Faso–Mali border|the south-east]], [[Ivory Coast]] to [[Ivory Coast–Mali border|the south]], [[Guinea]] to [[Guinea–Mali border|the south-west]], and [[Senegal]] to [[Mali–Senegal border|the west]] and [[Mauritania]] to [[Mali–Mauritania border|the north-west]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Griffiths|first=Ieuan|date=July 1986|title=The Scramble for Africa: Inherited Political Boundaries|journal=The Geographical Journal|volume=152|issue=2|pages=204–216|doi=10.2307/634762|jstor=634762|bibcode=1986GeogJ.152..204G |issn=0016-7398}}</ref>

[[File:Hand der Fatima.jpg|left|Landscape in [[Hombori]]|thumb]]
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map MLI present.svg|thumb|Mali map of Köppen climate classification]]

At {{convert|1240192|km2|sqmi|0|sigfig=3}},<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali"/> Mali is the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|24th-largest country]] in the world and the [[List of African countries by area|eighth-largest country in Africa]].<ref>{{cite web |title=List of African countries by area |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-African-countries-by-area |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |date=27 September 2024}}</ref> It is comparable in size to South Africa or [[Angola]]. Most of the country lies in the southern [[Sahara Desert]], which produces an extremely hot, dust-laden [[Sudan (region)|Sudanian savanna]] zone.<ref name=geography>[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 5.</ref> Mali is mostly flat, rising to rolling northern plains covered by [[sand]]. The [[Adrar des Ifoghas]] massif lies in the northeast.

Mali lies in the [[Geographical zone#Torrid Zone|torrid zone]] and is among the hottest countries in the world. The [[thermal equator]], which matches the hottest spots year-round on the planet based on the mean daily annual temperature, crosses the country.<ref name=geography/> Most of Mali receives negligible rainfall and droughts are very frequent.<ref name=geography/> Late April to early October is the rainy season in the southernmost area. During this time, flooding of the Niger River is common, creating the [[Inner Niger Delta]].<ref name=geography/> The vast northern desert part of Mali has a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BWh'') with long, extremely hot summers and scarce rainfall which decreases northwards. The central area has a [[hot semi-arid climate]] (Köppen climate classification ''BSh'') with very high temperatures year-round, a long, intense dry season and a brief, irregular rainy season. The southern areas have a [[tropical wet and dry climate]]. (Köppen climate classification ''Aw'') In review, Mali's climate is tropical, with March to May being the hot, dry season. June to October is rainy, humid and mild. November to February is the cool, dry season.

Mali has considerable natural resources, with gold, uranium, [[phosphates]], [[kaolinite]], salt and [[limestone]] being most widely exploited. Mali is estimated to have in excess of 17,400 tonnes of uranium (measured + indicated + inferred).<ref>[http://www.wise-uranium.org/uoafr.html#ML Uranium Mine Ownership – Africa] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20200415020226/http://www.wise%2Duranium.org/uoafr.html#ML |date=15 April 2020 }}. Wise-uranium.org. Retrieved 24 March 2013.</ref><ref>Muller, CJ and Umpire, A (22 November 2012) [http://www.sedar.com/GetFile.do?lang=EN&docClass=24&issuerNo=00022459&fileName=/csfsprod/data138/filings/02005552/00000001/y%3A\Web_Documents\RADAR\E3\RCGQ\14JA13046\121122TR_Falea_cn.pdf An Independent Technical Report on the Mineral Resources of Falea Uranium, Copper and Silver Deposit, Mali, West Africa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824024212/https://www.sedar.com/GetFile.do?lang=EN&docClass=24&issuerNo=00022459&fileName=%2Fcsfsprod%2Fdata138%2Ffilings%2F02005552%2F00000001%2Fy%3A%5CWeb_Documents%5CRADAR%5CE3%5CRCGQ%5C14JA13046%5C121122TR_Falea_cn.pdf |date=24 August 2021 }}. Minxcon.</ref> In 2012, a further uranium mineralized north zone was identified.<ref>[http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Uranium-in-Africa/ Uranium in Africa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417025834/http://world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Uranium-in-Africa/ |date=17 April 2014 }}. World-nuclear.org. Retrieved 24 March 2013.</ref> Mali faces numerous environmental challenges, including [[desertification]], [[deforestation]], [[soil erosion]], and inadequate [[Water supply|supplies]] of [[potable water]].<ref name=geography/>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{See also|Wildlife of Mali}}

Five terrestrial ecoregions lie within Mali's borders: [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]], [[West Sudanian savanna]], [[Inner Niger Delta flooded savanna]], [[South Saharan steppe and woodlands]], and [[West Saharan montane xeric woodlands]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> The country had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.16/10, ranking it 51st globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>
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