Factbox: Mali, remote land of deserts and gold

(Reuters) - Malian soldiers declared on Thursday they had seized power in protest at the government's failure to quell a Tuareg-led rebellion in the north.

The newly formed National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of the State (CNRDR) said it had "decided to assume its responsibilities by putting an end to the incompetent regime of (President) Amadou Toumani Toure".

Here is a look at Mali:

* ECONOMY:

- Among the 25 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports such as cotton for revenue.

- Despite stagnant gold production, real GDP was projected to have grown 5.4 percent in 2011 due to strong cotton output. Good overall agriculture production due to favorable rainfall has kept inflation low - 3 percent on average projected in 2011.

- 51 percent of the population live below the international threshold for poverty of $1.25 per day.

- Mali's social indicators remain among the lowest in the world. Solid economic growth has not improved the lives of ordinary Malians - Mali was ranked 175 out of 187 countries in the United Nations latest Human Development Indicators report.

* MINERALS:

- Mali's mineral sector is dominated by goal production. It is Africa's third-largest gold miner behind South Africa and Ghana, with major foreign operators including Resolute Mining, Anglogold, Iamgold, and Randgold.

- In preparation for what it hoped would be a mining boom, the government is looking to raise the state share in mining projects from 20 to 25 percent.

- Mali's gold revenues surged in 2011 by more than 20 percent tracking a rise in gold prices, though production slipped to about 43.5 metric tonnes (48 tons) from more than 46 metric tonnes (50 tons) in 2010. The largely desert country relies on gold for about 70 percent of export revenues and 15 percent of gross domestic product.

- Human Rights Watch said in December that between 20,000 and 40,000 children work in artisanal gold mines in Mali

* DEVELOPMENT/CORRUPTION

Life expectancy at birth (years) 51 (2010)

Total adult literacy rate (percentage) 26 (2005-2010)

Mali was ranked 118 out of 183 by Tranparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index which ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. Mali was 116 out of 178 countries in 2010.

* COUNTRY DETAILS:

POPULATION - Mali has 15.4 million people. (2012)

ETHNICITY - The Mande are the largest ethnic group. There are also Tuareg, Fulani Songhai, Dogon, Voltaic and others.

RELIGION - Most practice Islam (90 percent) but 9 percent follow traditional African religions. There is a small Christian minority.

LANGUAGE - French is the official language; Bambara is spoken by 80 percent of the population. Arabic and Tuareg are also spoken in the north.

SOURCES: Reuters/http://data.worldbank.org/country/mali/http://info.gemcomsoftware.com/Transparency International/http://minerals.usgs.gov/IMF

(Reporting by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-mali-remote-land-deserts-gold-160925348.html

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