Like Senegal, Mali achieved independence from France in 1960. Under indpendence, the country was initially politically unstable, culminating with a near civil war in 1995. Rivalries between ethic groups and between nomadic and sedentary peoples have been averted through peaceful negotiation since 1996.
Mali is about the size of California and is located in interior West Africa with the Sahara desert to the north. Most people in Mali are engaged in subsistence agriculture. The climate is hot with barely enough rain to grow crops. The life expectancy is 48 years (US is 76 years) and the per capita GNP is $240 (US is $28,000).
