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Bamako

 

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Bamako


 
 

History

The area of the city has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic, but the founding of Bamako occurred in the seventeenth century by Seribadian Niaré and Soumba Coulibaly, or Bamba Sanogo, before its chiefdom passed to Diaoussadian Niaré. The city was an important market townMarket town

In medieval law, a market town is a settlement that has the right to hold markets but which is not also a city....
. In 1883 the region was occupied by FrenchFrance

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi...
 troops, and in 1908, Bamako became the capital of the French SudanFrench Sudan

French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then fr...
. Its population has grown rapidly; in 1960 Bamako's population was approximately 160,000.

Climate

Monthly Normal High, Low Temperatures and Precipitation
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Norm High °F 90 96 100 101 100 94 88 87 89 93 94 90
Norm Low °F 63 68 73 77 77 74 71 70 70 70 66 63
Precip (in) 0.00 0.00 0.10 1.00 1.80 4.80 8.60 9.20 6.50 2.60 0.10 0.00
 

Layout of the city




Bamako is by the Niger River. This creates issues in that there are tributaries which affect development in the city and the city is on a flood plain, so much of the land bordering the river can not be used for construction. Bamako is relatively flat, except to the immediate north where there is an escarpmentEscarpment

In geology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves an elevation diffe...
, being what remains of an extinct volcano. The Presidential Palace and main hospital are located here.

Originally, the city developed on the northern side of the river, but as it grew, bridges were developed to connect the north with the south. The first of these was the Pont des Martyrs (2-lane with 2 pedestrian sections) and the King Fahd Bridge (4-lane with 2 motorcycle and 2 pedestrian sections). Additionally, there is an older submersible bridge between the eastern neighborhoods of Sotuba and Misabugu inherited from colonial times (alternated traffic on 1-lane with 5 crossing sections). It is called "Chaussée submersible de Sotuba" in French, and "Babilikoroni" in Bamanankan, and is typically under water from July to January. A third bridge (1.4 km long, 24 m large, 4-lane with 2 motorcycle and 2 pedestrian sections) is being built by at the same location to reduce downtown congestion, notably by trucks.

The traditional commercial centre of Bamako is to the north of the river, and contained within a triangle bounded by Avenue du Fleuve, Rue Baba Diarra and Boulevard du Peuple. This area contains the Marché Rose and Street Market. The downtown area is highly congested, polluted, and expensive, and urbanization is sprawling at a rapid pace within a radius of 30 km. The largest urbanized area now lies on the southern bank of the Niger River. A modern Central Business District is rapidly developing immediately west of the downtown area in the ACI-2000 district, taking advantage of a well-designed geometric layout, legacy of the old airport runways and taxiways. A large Administrative City is being developed at the junction between ACI-2000 and the King Fadh Bridge, purportedly to host most state departments (ministries) and administrative services in a central location.

Notable landmarks in Bamako include the National Library of MaliNational Library of Mali

The National Library of Mali is a public library located in Bamako, Mali....
, Tour BCEAOFacts About Tour BCEAO

The BCEAO Tower is the tallest building in Mali, comprising 20 storeys, and is the colour of the soil in the surrounding are...
, Bamako Grand MosqueBamako Grand Mosque

Bamako Grand Mosque is a mosque in Bamako, Mali....
, Cathedral of Bamako and the King Fahd Bridge. It is home to Mali's largest international airportAirport

An airport is a facility where aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters can take off and land....
, Senou International AirportFacts About Senou International Airport

Senou International Airport is an airport located in Bamako, the capital of the Republic of Mali in West Africa....
, as well as the Dakar-Niger RailwayFacts About Dakar-Niger Railway

The Dakar-Niger Railway connects Dakar, to Koulikoro,....
, to KoulikoroKoulikoro

Koulikoro is a town in Mali. The capital of the Koulikoro Region, Koulikoro is located on banks of the Niger river, 59 km f...
 in eastern Mali and DakarDakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast....
 in SenegalSenegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the Sngal River in western Africa....
. Attractions include the Mali National Museum, the Muso Kunda Museum, the Bamako Regional Museum, Bamako Zoo, the Bamako Botanical Gardens, the Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampaté BaPalais de la Culture Amadou Hampaté Ba

The Palais de la culture Amadou Hampat? Ba is the national performing arts centre for the West African nation of Mali, locat...
 and the Point G hill, containing caveCave

A cave is a natural underground void large enough for an adult human to enter....
s with rock paintingRock painting

A popular art/craft form that involves painting pictures on rocks....
s. Bamako has hosted the biannual photography festival African Photography EncountersAfrican Photography Encounters

African Photography Encounters is a biannual exhibition in Bamako, Mali since 1994....
 since 1994.

In 1988, Bamako was the location of a WHOWorld Health Organization Overview

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on internat...
 conference known as the Bamako InitiativeBamako Initiative

The Bamako Initiative was a formal statement adopted by African health ministers in 1987 in Bamako, Mali, to implement strat...
 that helped reshape health policy of Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa

[Image:Sub-Saharan-Africa.png|thumb|249px|A polical map showing national divisions in relation to the ecological break]]Sub-Sah...
.

The yearly held Budapest-BamakoFacts About Budapest-Bamako

The Budapest-Bamako or Great African Run is a rally organized by a group of Hungarians....
 rally has the endpoint in Bamako, with the Dakar RallyDakar Rally

The Dakar Rally is an annual professional off-road race, currently sponsored by Total S.A....
 often passing through Bamako.

Neighborhoods

  • ACI-2000
  • Badalabugu, Bajalan I, Bajalan II, Bako Jikoroni, Bagadaji, Bamako Kura, Bankoni, Bolibana, Bozola, Bugudani, Bulkasumbugu
  • Dar Salam, Dawdabugu, Dravela
  • Fajigila, Falaje
  • Garantigibugu
  • Jalakoroji (bordering Bamako District), Janekela, Janjigila, Jelibugu, Jikoroni Para, Jumanzana
  • Hamdallaye, HippodromeHippodrome, Bamako

    Hippodrome is a Quartier of Bamako, the capital of Mali....
  • Kalaban Koro (bordering Bamako District), Kalaban Kura, Korofina, Kuluba, Kulubleni
  • Lafiabugu
  • Madina Kura, Misabugu, Misira
  • Niarela, Ntomikorobugu
  • Point G
  • Quartier du Fleuve, Quartier Mali, Quinzanbugu
  • Sabalibugu I, Sabalibugu II, Safo (bordering Bamako District), Same, Sangarebugu (bordering Bamako District), Saranbugu (bordering Bamako District), Sebeninkoro, Sikoroni, Sirakoro, Senu, Sibiribugu, Sokoroji, Sotuba
  • Titibugu (bordering Bamako District), Torokorobugu, TSF-Sans Fil
  • Wolofobugu
  • Yirimanjo
  • Zone Industrielle

Sister cities

  • AngersFacts About Angers

    Angers is a city in France in the dpartement of Maine-et-Loire, 191 miles south-west of Paris....
    , FranceFrance

    France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi...
     (since MQ 1974)
  • Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina FasoBurkina Faso

    Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation in West Africa....
  • DakarDakar

    Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast....
    , SenegalSenegal

    Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the Sngal River in western Africa....
  • LeipzigLeipzig

    Leipzig [] is the largest city in the federal state of Saxony in Germany with a population of 502,000....
    , GermanyGermany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe....
  • Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York

    Rochester, also known as both The Flour City and The Flower City, is a city in Monroe County, New York, United State...
    , USAUnited States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
     (since 1975)
  • São PauloSão Paulo

    So Paulo is the capital of the state of So Paulo in southeastern Brazil....
    , BrazilBrazil

    Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest and most populous country in South America, and ...
  • SinyarSinyar

    Sinyar are the members of a minor ethnic minority in Chad and Sudan....
    , IndonesiaIndonesia

    Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South Eas...


External links

  • Pictures of