Geography of Mali

Mali is a landlocked nation in West Africa, located southwest of Algeria, extending south-west from the southern Sahara Desert through the Sahel to the Sudanian savanna zone.

The terrain is primarily savanna in the south and flat to rolling plains or high plateau (200–500 meters in elevation) in the north.

The thermal equator, which matches the hottest spots year-round on the planet based on the mean daily annual temperature, crosses the country[1] Most of Mali receives negligible rainfall and droughts are very frequent[1] Late April to early October is the rainy season in the southernmost area.

Timbuktu, Taghaza, Taoudenni, Araouane, Gao, Kidal and Tessalit are some of the hottest spots on Earth during their warmest months.

Kayes, with an average high temperature of about 44 °C or 111.2 °F in April is nicknamed "the pressure cooker of Africa" due to the extreme heat year-round.

The heat is more extreme to the north in the Sahara Desert; the maximum average high temperature of the year reaches 46 °C or 114.8 °F in Araouane in June[2] and comes close to 48 °C or 118.4 °F in the Taoudenni region during July.

[1] Mali faces numerous environmental challenges, including desertification, deforestation, soil erosion, drought, and inadequate supplies of potable water.

To meet this demand, 400,000 hectares of tree cover are lost annually, virtually ensuring destruction of the country's savanna woodlands.