Mali, Republic of, landlocked republic, western Africa, bordered on the north-east by Algeria, on the east by Niger, on the south by Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea, and on the west by Senegal, and Mauritania. A former French colony, it gained freedom on June 20, 1960. The area of the nation is 1,240,192 sq km (478,840 sq mi). The capital of Mali is Bamako.