Modern Day Mali Research Paper

Abstract
This Paper explores the cultural, historic, geographic and economic state of modern day Mali. The focus of this paper will be Mali’s political volatility as the nation has been under support of the United Nations. Other areas of importance will be placed on the current economic state of Mali, social class breakdown and geographical challenges the country faces. This paper will analyze the effects of the country’s geographic and political situation as to how it affects the economic state of the country as well as militia forces impact on the countries security.
Keywords: Mali, Economy, Political Volatility
Mali Overview
The culture of a nation is comprised of many factors, among these are its physical geography, History, economy, politics and the social structure. Culture is defined as the characteristics and knowledge of

The country takes up approximately 1,240,000 Km2, which is approximately twice the size of Texas. The Sahara covers nearly half of the country which makes it difficult to provide aid to the northern region of Mali.
The central region of the country is mountainous and home to the Hobori Tondo, which is Mali’s highest point. In this region, one can find the Land of the Dogons, which has buildings carved out of sandstone where people live. Mali has several small rivers in the southern regions and two main rivers, the most important water source for Mali, the Niger river which runs from Bamako northeast past Timbuktu and east and south toward Gao. The second main river is the Senegal River, located in southwestern Mali.
Mali’s neighboring countries are Algeria to the north. Mauritania, Senegal, and Guinea border the country to the west. Ivory Coast, Burkina and Niger border the southeastern borders of Mali. The population of Mali is approximately 17 million and the capital city where most of the population lives is