2021 Travel the World - Week 20

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world, so I continued the series in 2020 and here I am in 2021, the third year of traveling the world. 

This week's country is...

Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. 

It is the biggest country in West Africa.

By total surface area, Mali is Africa’s 8th largest country and the world’s 23rd largest.

It is roughly twice the size of Texas.

The capital city of Mali is Bamako, which lies on the banks of the Niger River. It is popular for its local markets and live music. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa.

The official language of Mali is French.

Mali is one of the poorest nations in the world. Around 70% of Mali’s population earns less than a dollar per day.

Mali’s Great Mosque of Djenné, constructed in 1907, is the world’s largest mud-brick building. Every April, residents of Djenné maintain the walls of the mosque during a one-day festival called Crépissage (Plastering) where they reconstruct the walls with mud.

Mali is home to part of the Sahara desert, the largest desert in the world.

Most of Mali’s land is flat, rising to rolling plains in the north that are covered with sand.

The country's climate is subtropical to arid, with February to June being the hot, dry season. June to November is rainy, humid and mild. November to February is the cool, dry season.

Mali’s most frequently exported natural resources include gold, phosphates, salt, limestone, kaolin, uranium, and granite. Mali depends on agricultural exports and gold mining for its main revenue.

Thirty four percent of the land is used as agricultural land, with 5.6 percent in arable land and 28.4 percent in permanent pastureland. Forests occupy ten percent of Mali.

Women do all the work for the family but they are held in high regard. Women are always consulted, particularly in community decisions, because they symbolize harmony and peace.

The staples of Malian cuisine are millet and rice, with couscous added in the north. Sauces made from edible plants, such as baoboas, spinach, and peanuts, are added.

A wide variety of fresh fruits is available but should be washed in bleach water before peeling. These include papaya, guava, mangoes, watermelons, oranges and bananas.

Animals endemic to only Mali include the Mali Fire Finch (pictured), the Mali Screeching Frog, the Bata Marsh Toad and the freshwater elephant fish.

Fishing is an important food industry and there are approximately 200 species of fish in Mali. The most popular is capitaine.

The harbor town of Mopti offers river adventures in a pinasse (locally built watercraft).

Mali is the third highest gold producer in Africa after South Africa and Ghana.

Monkeys are the only animals found in Mali's largest national park, though at one time giraffes, lions, chimps, and gazelles roamed there.

Dance has an important role in Mali. Ceremonial events are celebrated with traditional mask dances. The Dogon people of central Mali have more than 75 different ritual masks.

In Mali, sweet tea is the national drink and the traditional offering for a visitor. You can drink it three times from the same pot, but if you are served a fourth cup it means you’re no longer welcome.

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about Mali... Mali is famous for its salt mines.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Inky Antics Prepping Chef stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Paper: Cougar 110# White, FSJ Rock Candy, and SU Flirty Flamingo CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies: MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle, MFT Stitched Rectangle, and SU Stitched Shapes (Circle)

Embellishments: Heart Brad from an unknown vendor