Population and Settlements
The Republic of Mali is a country in the western region of Africa. The country thrives on their agriculture and fishing. It is a land lock region with 8 regions in total. Although currently plagued with civil uprisings this region was once very prosperous. The current population of Mali is around 15 million people. (World Population Review) Most of the population lives in the southern region. The population of this country has grown extensively since 1950, almost tripling the population. While there are some urban areas, most live in rural areas of the country.
The first settlers of the region were known as “Maden.” The Maden were known for creating many powerful kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Ghana, Mali, and the Songhai Empire all before the 1600’s. These kingdoms were all a major part of the Trans Saharan Trade Route. The Maden were also known for their weaving abilities. Archeology also shows that they had extensive experience in agriculture.
Later on, in 1884, the French occupied Mali. The French defeated local settlers of the region and fell under French colonial rule. (BBC News) The people of Mali were very resistant to the French occupying their land and trying to rule. It wasn’t until 1960 that Mali finally became independent. The first president to rule the newly independent nation was Modibo Keita. There have been many reforms since then. The first president to rule Mali under democracy was Alpha Oumar Konaré in 1992.
There are many natural resources that are found in the country of Mali. Some examples of these resources include gold, iron, copper deposits, and limestone. These resources, understandably, made Mali a very desirable place for settlers to live early on. Mali is the 24 largest country in size, with the disputed region of Azawad. The geography of the land mostly flat with a desert climate.
Looking back, Mali has a very rich history when it comes to settlement. Being a very important part of the Trans Saharan Trade Route, the area of the settlement was extremely important. The geography of this area also played a very important role because it needed to support a rather large settlement.
The Republic of Mali is a country in the western region of Africa. The country thrives on their agriculture and fishing. It is a land lock region with 8 regions in total. Although currently plagued with civil uprisings this region was once very prosperous. The current population of Mali is around 15 million people. (World Population Review) Most of the population lives in the southern region. The population of this country has grown extensively since 1950, almost tripling the population. While there are some urban areas, most live in rural areas of the country.
The first settlers of the region were known as “Maden.” The Maden were known for creating many powerful kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Ghana, Mali, and the Songhai Empire all before the 1600’s. These kingdoms were all a major part of the Trans Saharan Trade Route. The Maden were also known for their weaving abilities. Archeology also shows that they had extensive experience in agriculture.
Later on, in 1884, the French occupied Mali. The French defeated local settlers of the region and fell under French colonial rule. (BBC News) The people of Mali were very resistant to the French occupying their land and trying to rule. It wasn’t until 1960 that Mali finally became independent. The first president to rule the newly independent nation was Modibo Keita. There have been many reforms since then. The first president to rule Mali under democracy was Alpha Oumar Konaré in 1992.
There are many natural resources that are found in the country of Mali. Some examples of these resources include gold, iron, copper deposits, and limestone. These resources, understandably, made Mali a very desirable place for settlers to live early on. Mali is the 24 largest country in size, with the disputed region of Azawad. The geography of the land mostly flat with a desert climate.
Looking back, Mali has a very rich history when it comes to settlement. Being a very important part of the Trans Saharan Trade Route, the area of the settlement was extremely important. The geography of this area also played a very important role because it needed to support a rather large settlement.
![Picture](/uploads/3/1/9/9/31991281/3161706.jpg?250)
Mali was involved in the sub-saharan trade route. This map describes that route and would prove that Mali was an important place of trade and reason for settlement. The sub-saharan trade route was extremely popular between the 8th and 16th century. Many people settled in Mali during that time. However, there has also been a lot of recent settlement with Mali which can be seen below.
Population Pyramids
The population pyramids above show the population of Mali in 1970 and 2010. As one can see, the population more than doubled in the 40 year gap. That is a huge increase in population in a very short period of time. The younger population has also increased while the older population has decreased. From this we can determine that the average life span of the population of Mali has decreased over the past 40 years.