The average life expectancy, droughts and poor food has made Mali one of the poorest countries in the world. The main groups residing in Mali are the Bambara, Fulani, Songhai, Bozo, Tuareg and Dogon. It has a population of 11,700,000 and their average life expectancy is 51 years of age. Mali's main languages are Arabic, Bambara, French, Fulani, Mande, Senufo and Soninke. It is the biggest exporter of cotton. The farming settlements are done close to the rivers Senegal and Niger because of its fertility. The women of the Bozo group are noted artists of mud cloth an abstract design made on rough cloth using different colored soils.