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

See Examples For:

Mali

Like Mali and Burkina Faso, Tiani's government has built much of its legitimacy using the language of sovereignty, pan-Africanism and liberation from former colonial powers.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

During a recent AI training session for educators in South Carolina, an AI-generated world map misspelled Mali as “Mail,” labeled Egypt “Sopth” and replaced Libya with a country simply called “Africa.”

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Bees fans will expect more of the same this season and an indication of their continued ambition was demonstrated with the club-record signing of Mali midfielder Mamadou Sangare from Lens.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Burkina, Mali and Niger did so earlier in July, leading the ICC's executive body to voice concern that their departure undermined the global pursuit of justice.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Similarly, the most sympathetic Mali Ambassador had been in New York at the United Nations.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey