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The well-organized and prompt Mali transportation system consists of airways, railways, roadways and waterways. Mali is well connected to the rest of Africa as well to other international destinations. Transportation in Mali is controlled by a governmental body known as Malian Transport Authority.
There are approximately 729 km of railroad in Mali, which is served mostly by diesel electric engines. The internal railway track of Mali is well-connected. The main rail line from Dakar connects Senegal to Bamako, the capital of Mali. The efficient rail service runs twice a week in this route. Mali is linked by rail ways to Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania. The Malian towns of Koulikoro, Bamako, Kayes, Kita, Kati, Naye, Senegal and Mahina near Bafoulabe are connected by well-organized railways of Mali.
Mali's road network comprises about 15,100 km of highways. The project of developing a 558-km road between Gao and Sevare, near Mopti was completed in 1986. This road connects trans-Sahara highway to Algeria and Nigeria. Mali is surrounded by lands on every side but the port of Dakar in Senegal serves the water transport in Mali. The Niger River is navigable only through a 59-km stretch between Bamako and Koulikoro. The navigable Bani River is a tributary of the Niger between San and Mopti. Regular ferry service on the Niger is available from July to January.
Mali's major airport in Bamako is the Bamako Senou International Airport. It serves 29 weekly non-stop flights to Dakar. The domestic flights serve the regional destinations of Mali including Gao, Kayes, Mopti, Timbuktu, Sikasso and Kidal. The main Airlines operating at this airport are Aero Contractors, Cameroon Airlines, Air Burkina, Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Mauritanie and Benin Golf Air among many others. There are many minor airports at Segou, Tessalit, Bourem, and Kidal.
Taxis and motorbikes are very popular internal mode of Mali transportation. Walking is also popular among the local people as well as the tourists as the country offer fascinating scenic backdrop. A survey made on Mali transport in 2001, concluded that about 18,900 passenger cars and 31,700 commercial automobiles are operating throughout Mali.
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