Since 2016, Mali has been divided into ten regions and one capital district. A reorganization of the country from eight to nineteen regions was passed into law in 2012,[1] but of the new regions, only Taoudénit (partitioned from Tombouctou Region) and Ménaka (formerly Ménaka Cercle in Gao Region) have begun to be implemented.[2][3] Each of the regions bears the name of its capital. The regions are divided into 56 cercles. The cercles and the capital district are divided into 703 communes.[4]
In 2023, Mali has added nine new regions to its administrative structure, bringing the total to 19 regions plus the district of Bamako. This reorganization aims to improve governance and bring public services closer to local populations. This initiative continues the decentralization efforts that began with the creation of the Taoudénit and Ménaka regions in 2016. The nineteen regions in turn are subdivided into 159 cercles, 466 districts, 819 communes and 12.712 villages[5]
Demographics
The most populated region in 2023 is Ségou with 2.455 million people, and the least most populated is Kidal with just 83 thousand people.
Geography
Though five regions are composed of mainly desert, they also have half the country's land mass. The largest region is Taoudénit and the smallest is Dioila, excluding Bamako.
Regions
The regions are numbered, originally west to east, with Roman numerals.[6] The capital Bamako is administered separately and is in its own district. The regions and the Bamako District are listed below. The population figures are from the 1998 and 2009 censuses.[7]
| Region name | Region number | Area (km2) | Population Census 1998 | Population Census 2009 | Population (2023)[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamako - Capital District | 00 | 252 | 1,016,296 | 1,810,366 | 4,227,569 |
| Kayes | 01 | 63,210 | 1,374,316 | 1,993,615 | 1,840,329 |
| Koulikoro | 02 | 47,040 | 1,570,507 | 2,422,108 | 2,255,157 |
| Sikasso | 03 | 20,800 | 1,782,157 | 2,643,179 | 1,533,123 |
| Ségou | 04 | 52,100 | 1,675,357 | 2,338,349 | 2,455,263 |
| Mopti | 05 | 26,550 | 1,484,601 | 2,036,209 | 935,579 |
| Tombouctou | 06 | 206,000 | 442,619 | 674,793 | 974,278 |
| Gao | 07 | 94,846 | 341,542 | 542,304 | 727,517 |
| Kidal | 08 | 151,430 | 38,774 | 67,739 | 83,192 |
| Taoudénit | 09 | 292,000 | – | 18,160 | 100,358 |
| Ménaka | 10 | 78,100 | – | 54,456 | 318,876 |
| Bougouni | 11 | 15,964 | – | – | 1,570,979 |
| Dioila | 12 | 12,330 | – | – | 675,965 |
| Nioro | 13 | 23,350 | – | – | 678,061 |
| Koutiala | 14 | 14,600 | – | – | 1,169,882 |
| Kita | 15 | 35,680 | – | – | 681,671 |
| Nara | 16 | 31,250 | – | – | 307,777 |
| Bandiagara | 17 | 24,850 | – | – | 868,916 |
| San | 18 | 14,200 | – | – | 820,807 |
| Douentza | 19 | 23,310 | – | – | 446,179 |
See also
References
- ^ "LOI No 2012-017 DU 02 MARS 2012 PORTANT CREATION DE CIRCONSCRIPTIONS ADMINISTRATIVES EN REPUBLIQUE DU MALI". Journal officiel de la République du Mali. 2 March 2012. p. 364. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Régionalisation: Deux Nouvelles régions créées au Mali". Malijet. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali". MINUSMA. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Loi N°99-035/ Du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Creation des Collectivites Territoriales de Cercles et de Regions" (in French), Ministère de l'Administration Territoriales et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali, 1999, archived from the original on 2012-03-09.
- ^ "Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Revue de presse du Mali."
- ^ Évaluation de la coopération décentralisée franco-malienne La coopération décentralisée franco-malienne, état des lieux, Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
- ^ "Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009" (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived from the original on 2020-01-11, retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Rapport RGPD5 sur la population"