James Baquet When we think of empires, we usually think of those based in Asia or Europe, or perhaps, at a stretch, something in the Americas, like the Aztecs or Incas. But for some reason, we seldom think of empires rising within the continent of Africa. Yet it has happened, to a greater or lesser extent, dozens of times. For example, the Ghana Empire (more properly called “Awkar”) rose in what is today southeastern Mauritania and western Mali sometime around 300, and lasted until around 1240. Awkar’s successor, the Mali Empire, lasted until about 1670, and lent its name to the modern country of Mali (as its predecessor did to Ghana). The Songhai Empire, too, arose in the area, reaching its heyday in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it was one of the largest states in the history of Africa. Mali, then, with her neighbors, has been the site of three major empires. Their ruins can still be seen by adventurous tourists, especially at the fabled Timbuktu. The modern country of Mali is the world’s 23rd-largest in area, and is the eighth-largest country in Africa. Algeria lies on its northern border; Mauritania on the northwest and west; Senegal on the far west; Guinea on the southwest; Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on the south; Burkina Faso on the southeast; and Niger on the south and east. Until back-to-back military coups in 2012, Mali was a constitutional democracy. Since then it has been considered a “hybrid regime,” meaning that there is a form of democracy, but — for example — the results of elections are not “fair and free.” It thus lies somewhere along a spectrum between democratic and authoritarian. The population of 18 million is more rural than urban, and 5 to 10 percent are nomadic. About half of the people are from one of the Mande ethnic tribes; the language of one of those, the Bambara, has become a lingua franca spoken by about 80 percent of the people. But there are numerous other groups speaking a bewildering number of languages — over 40 — though French is the sole national language, a legacy of colonial days. Islam is the religion of around 90 percent of the population. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. famous in stories 2. the one that comes after 3. one after another 4. government in power 5. the one that comes before 6. peak, period of greatest power 7. when one attempts to go further 8. confusing 9. mixture, composed of non-matching elements 10. range, scale | 