Mali

American  

[mah-lee] / ˈmɑ li /

noun

1. Republic of Mali, a republic in western Africa: formerly a territory of France; gained independence 1960. 463,500 sq. mi. (120,000 sq. km). Bamako.

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Mali British  

/ ˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

1. Former name (1898–1959): French Sudan.  a landlocked republic in West Africa: conquered by the French by 1898 and incorporated (as French Sudan) into French West Africa; became independent in 1960; settled chiefly in the basins of the Rivers Senegal and Niger in the south. Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority, also animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Bamako. Pop: 15 968 882 (2013 est). Area: 1 248 574 sq km (482 077 sq miles)

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Mali Cultural  

1. Republic in west Africa bordered by Algeria to the north and east, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast to the south, Guinea to the southwest, Senegal and Mauritania to the west. Its capital is Bamako. It became an independent nation in 1960.

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Discover More

During the Middle Ages, Mali formed a huge territorial empire, noted as a center of Islamic study and as a trade route for gold. Its center was Timbuktu.

Other Word Forms

• Malian
  noun

Example Sentences

Conflict monitors, now watching with alarm as Islamist militants capture territory and stage attacks in Mali, urge the administration to pay closer attention to the restive Sahel region and other hot spots.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

Around 300,000 refugees have fled to eastern Mauritania's desert Hodh Chargui region to escape the violence that has plagued Mali for more than a decade.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Since 2012, Mali has faced a deep security crisis fuelled in particular by violence from fighters affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as local criminal gangs and pro-independence groups.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

In the western African country of Mali, an al Qaeda affiliate and its allies are threatening to topple the ruling military junta.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

They’d traded notes about Mali and Ethiopia, and she complimented him on his enormous vocabulary.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye