At nearly twice the size of France, Mali is one of West Africa’s biggest countries.

The northern half of Mali is nearly all Saharan desert. By contrast, in the south there is usually enough rainfall to grow crops without irrigation. In between these two areas is a wide belt of semi-desert, called the Sahel, and growing food there depends on the flooding of the Niger River.

The Niger River, one of the great rivers of Africa, is Mali’s most prominent geographical feature. People depend on it for everything from food to transport.

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