Mali vs. Niger
Geography
| Mali | Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | interior Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger | Western Africa, southeast of Algeria |
| Geographic coordinates | 17 00 N, 4 00 W | 16 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,240,192 sq km land: 1,220,190 sq km water: 20,002 sq km | total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 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: 5,834 km border countries (7): Algeria 951 km, Benin 277 km, Burkina Faso 622 km, Chad 1196 km, Libya 342 km, Mali 838 km, Nigeria 1608 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February) | desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
| Terrain | mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast | predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m lowest point: Senegal River 23 m mean elevation: 343 m | highest point: Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m lowest point: Niger River 200 m mean elevation: 474 m |
| Natural resources | gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower, note, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited | uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum |
| Land use | agricultural 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: 35.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 12.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 22.7% (2018 est.) forest: 1% (2018 est.) other: 63.9% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 3,780 sq km (2012) | 1,000 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding | recurring droughts |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; loss of pasture land; inadequate supplies of potable water | overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; contaminated water; inadequate potable water; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction |
| Environment - international agreements | 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, 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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan | landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture |
| Total renewable water resources | 120 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 34.05 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the 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 map | majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
