Geography Quiz Arcade

Capital of Mali: Bamako — Facts & 5-Question Quiz

The capital of Mali is Bamako. Mali sits in Africa, has a population of 22,593,590, and uses the XOF. Official languages include French.

Quick facts

  • Capital: Bamako
  • Continent: Africa
  • Population: ~22,593,590
  • Area: 1,240,192 km²
  • Population density: 18.2 people per km²
  • Official language: French
  • Currency: XOF
  • ISO code: ML

How big is Mali?

By population, Mali ranks 59th in the world, holding roughly 0.28% of all people on Earth. By land area it ranks 23rd.

Those two numbers rarely match, and the gap between them is the interesting part. Mali has 18.2 people per square kilometre, which is about 3.3 times below the world average of 59.4. It is more spacious than its population alone would suggest.

Within Africa, Mali is the 20th most populous country of 54.

Countries of a similar size

The two countries closest to Mali in population are Burkina Faso (22,673,762) and Syria (22,125,249).

By land area, its closest counterparts are Angola (1,246,700 km²) and South Africa (1,221,037 km²).

Comparisons like these are worth more than raw figures when you are trying to remember them. A number on its own is hard to hold; a number next to a country you already have a feel for is much easier.

Language and currency

French is spoken officially in 30 countries in this dataset, including Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Cameroon, and 24 others.

The XOF is not unique to Mali — it is also used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and Ivory Coast, and 3 others. Shared currencies usually mark a monetary union or a long-standing peg, and they are a useful shortcut in quizzes: get one country's currency and you often get several.

How to remember Mali

Bamako is on the Niger River in the southwest. For the flag, Mali is plain green-gold-red with nothing on it: Senegal adds a green star, and Guinea reverses the order to red-yellow-green.

The flag of Mali: green, gold and red

🇲🇱 The flag is three vertical stripes of green, gold and red. Green, gold and red are the Pan-African colours, used by many African flags.

Region and neighbours

Mali is a large landlocked country in West Africa, with the Sahara Desert in the north and the Niger River flowing through the south. It shares land borders with 7 countries: Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania. Mali is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.

Three facts about Mali

  1. The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud-brick building in the world.
  2. Mansa Musa, who ruled the Mali Empire in the 1300s, was so rich that people of his time described his wealth as unimaginable.
  3. The old city of Timbuktu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sources: Wikipedia: Mali, Wikipedia: Flag of Mali, Wikipedia: Bamako, Wikipedia: Great Mosque of Djenné, Wikipedia: Mansa Musa, Wikipedia: Timbuktu, CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Mali

Mali capital quiz

  1. What is the capital of Mali 🇲🇱?

    • Porto-Novo
    • Gitega
    • Bamako
    • Harare
    Show answer

    Bamako

  2. What is the capital of Burkina Faso 🇧🇫?

    • Khartoum
    • Windhoek
    • Kinshasa
    • Ouagadougou
    Show answer

    Ouagadougou

  3. What is the capital of Malawi 🇲🇼?

    • Kinshasa
    • Lilongwe
    • Asmara
    • Dakar
    Show answer

    Lilongwe

  4. What is the capital of Zambia 🇿🇲?

    • Cairo
    • Niamey
    • Lusaka
    • Ouagadougou
    Show answer

    Lusaka

  5. What is the capital of Niger 🇳🇪?

    • Brazzaville
    • Kampala
    • Lusaka
    • Niamey
    Show answer

    Niamey

Mali in Africa

The largest countries by population sharing this continent are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

If you are learning capitals region by region — far more effective than working alphabetically — Africa is the block Mali belongs to, and its neighbours are the ones worth learning alongside it.

Try the Country to Capital Quiz, or the harder reverse direction. There is also a full country profile for Mali.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Mali?

The capital of Mali is Bamako.

What is the population of Mali?

About 22,593,590, making it the 59th most populous country in the world.

How big is Mali?

1,240,192 square kilometres, ranking 23rd by land area, at a density of 18.2 people per square kilometre.

What currency does Mali use?

The XOF, shared with 7 other countries.

What are the colours of the Mali flag?

The flag of Mali is three vertical stripes of green, gold and red. Green, gold and red are the Pan-African colours, used by many African flags.

Which countries border Mali?

Mali shares land borders with Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania.

How can I remember the capital of Mali?

Bamako is on the Niger River in the southwest. For the flag, Mali is plain green-gold-red with nothing on it: Senegal adds a green star, and Guinea reverses the order to red-yellow-green.

More capitals to learn

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