Geography & environment — Mali
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Mali: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
17 00 N, 4 00 W
- Total Area
478,838 Square Miles 1,240,192 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
471,115 Square Miles 1,220,190 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
7,723 Square Miles 20,002 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
4,501 Miles 7,243 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
- Highest Point
1,155 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
- Lowest Point
23 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Senegal River 23 m
- Natural Resources
gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, hydropower
- Irrigated Land
910 Square Miles 2,358 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
There are two primary seasons in West Africa. The dry period can be further divided into two distinct seasons, mild and hot, particularly in the savanna and Sahelian regions of Mali. The rainy season usually begins in June and continues into October. Almost all of the annual rainfall occurs during this time. As much as 60-80 inches of rain may fall in the southern savanna but rainfall is lower further north. Temperatures range from 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (21-40°C). The cool season lasts from December to mid-February, when temperatures range from 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night to the mid-80s (about 28-34°C) during the day. The hot season starts in mid-February and goes into June. The air is dry, dusty, and very hot; temperatures often reach over 100 degrees (40°C) and clouds of dust hang in the air. This is the season of the harmattan, the dry, sandy wind that brings dust clouds southwards from the Sahara.
- Terrain
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
- Location
interior Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger
- Total Area
478,838 Square Miles 1,240,192 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
- Environment - International Agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements