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Mali vs. Guinea

Geography

MaliGuinea
Locationinterior Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of NigerWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates17 00 N, 4 00 W11 00 N, 10 00 W
Map referencesAfricaAfrica
Areatotal: 1,240,192 sq km

land: 1,220,190 sq km

water: 20,002 sq km
total: 245,857 sq km

land: 245,717 sq km

water: 140 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly less than twice the size of Texasslightly smaller than Oregon; slightly larger than twice the size of Pennsylvania
Land boundariestotal: 7,908 km

border countries (7): Algeria 1359 km, Burkina Faso 1325 km, Cote d'Ivoire 599 km, Guinea 1062 km, Mauritania 2236 km, Niger 838 km, Senegal 489 km
total: 4,046 km

border countries (6): Cote d'Ivoire 816 km, Guinea-Bissau 421 km, Liberia 590 km, Mali 1062 km, Senegal 363 km, Sierra Leone 794 km
Coastline0 km (landlocked)320 km
Maritime claimsnone (landlocked)territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climatesubtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February)generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrainmostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeastgenerally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Elevation extremeshighest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

lowest point: Senegal River 23 m

mean elevation: 343 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 472 m
Natural resourcesgold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower, note, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploitedbauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt
Land useagricultural land: 34.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 5.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 28.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 10.2% (2018 est.)

other: 55.7% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 43.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 26.5% (2018 est.)

other: 15.4% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land3,780 sq km (2012)950 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardshot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River floodinghot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season
Environment - current issuesdeforestation; soil erosion; desertification; loss of pasture land; inadequate supplies of potable waterdeforestation; inadequate potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices lead to environmental damage; water pollution; improper waste disposal
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - notelandlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharanthe Niger and its important tributary the Milo River have their sources in the Guinean highlands
Total renewable water resources120 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)226 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionthe overwhelming majority of the population lives in the southern half of the country, with greater density along the border with Burkina Faso as shown in this population distribution mapareas of highest density are in the west and south; interior is sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Source: CIA Factbook