XOF

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications
Mali

Telephones - main lines in use:

85,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.483 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas; mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to 20 per 100 persons international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 230 (27 regional and government stations, and 203 private stations), shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

570,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus repeaters) (2007)

Televisions:

45,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ml

Internet hosts:

387 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (2001)

Internet users:

100,000 (2007)

Transportation
Mali

Airports:

29 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Railways:

total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 18,709 km paved: 3,368 km unpaved: 15,341 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,800 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Koulikoro

Military
Mali

Military branches:

Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force
Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,603,700 females age 16-49: 2,441,776 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,594,184 females age 16-49: 1,529,871 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 144,293 female: 136,381 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues
Mali

Disputes - international:

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@Malta

Introduction
Malta

Background:

Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began to use the euro as currency in 2008.

Geography
Malta

Location:

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily
(Italy)

Geographic coordinates: