Is it safe to visit?
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to the provinces of Tombouctou, Kidal, Gao and Mopti, and parts of the Kayes, Koulikoro and Segou, as shown on the map below, and all but essential travel to the rest of the country, including the capital Bamako, where 170 people are being held hostage at a hotel.
While Britons may still choose to visit countries that the Foreign Office deems unsafe, they will have to travel independently and are likely to have problems obtaining insurance. No major tour operators currently offer trips to Mali and no airlines fly direct to the country from the UK.
Why is it deemed unsafe?
"There is a high threat from terrorism," the Foreign Office warns. "Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
"Following French/African military intervention in Mali in January 2013, there is a high threat of retaliatory kidnap or attack against Western interests, especially in areas north of Mopti, though the threat exists throughout the country. There have been a number of recent bomb attacks in Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu and In Khalil. Further attacks are likely.
"The ability of the British Embassy to deliver consular services is limited, especially outside of Bamako."
Have there been recent attacks?
There have already been several incidents in 2015, including two in which foreigners were targeted.
On March 6, there was a terrorist attack on the restaurant La Terrasse in the capital, Bamako. Five people, including two Europeans, were killed and nine were injured.
On August 7, there was an attack by armed men in the town of Sévare in the Mopti region. The attack lasted several hours, including a siege at a local hotel. Twelve people died, including two foreign nationals.
On June 10, there was an attack by armed men on Malian security forces in the town of Misseni, near the border with Ivory Coast.
How long has it been off-limits?
The Foreign Office has warned against travel to Mali since March 2012.
The terror threat in the country has been rated "high" since November 2009.
What are its attractions?
Prior to 2012, numerous tour operators, including Wild Frontiers, Explore, Trailfinders and Cox and Kings, offered trips to the country.
Its most obvious draw is Timbuktu, a Unesco World Heritage Site. "Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries," says Unesco. "Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification." Timbuktu has been on its list of sites in danger since 2012.
Mali has three other World Heritage Sites, Djenné, home to the the world's largest mud structure, the Tomb of Askia and the great Bandiagara escarpment, home of the Dogon people.
The country was also once known for its music festivals, including the Festival au Désert.
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