Mali operates on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+0). The country does not observe daylight saving time, so the offset remains constant throughout the year.
All of Mali follows the same timezone. Major cities including Bamako, Sikasso, Mopti, and Timbuktu all observe GMT. Bamako, the capital and largest city, is situated on the Niger River and serves as the country's administrative and economic center.
Mali was home to one of Africa's greatest empires, the Mali Empire, which at its height in the 14th century was one of the wealthiest in the world. The legendary city of Timbuktu was a major center of Islamic scholarship and trade, housing thousands of ancient manuscripts.