Bamako

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

'Mali capital Bamako is France's main concern'

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Al Jazeera reports from Bamako and Paris

Brothers in Bamako @ Gaume Jazz 2012 - Habib Koité & Eric Bibb

Hollande's Mali War: French troop build-up continues in capital Bamako as Islamists advance

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Abeïbara Cercle
Abeïbara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of north-eastern Mali. The capital lies at the small town of Abeïbara. The Cercle is divided into Communes, and below this, quarters/villages. As of 2009 the cercle had a population of 10,286.
The Abeïbara Cercle contains the following Rural Communes:
Coordinates: 19°40′N 2°15′E / 19.667°N 2.25°E / 19.667; 2.25

wn.com/Abeïbara_Cercle
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. As of 2011^[update] it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris and Kinshasa, but before Montreal. It has, according to the authorities of the country in 2006, 5,068,858 residents in the metropolitan area and 3,796,677 residents in the municipality. Only Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, has a larger number of inhabitants in this region. Considered a cultural hub of West Africa, Abidjan is characterized by a high level of industrialization and urbanization. The city stands in Ébrié Lagoon, on several converging peninsulas and islands, connected by bridges.
The city grew after the construction of a new wharf in 1931 and its designation as the capital of the then French colony in 1933. The completion of the Vridi Canal in 1951 enabled it to become an important sea port. In 1983, Yamoussoukro was designated as the nation's capital, but most government offices and foreign embassies are still in Abidjan.

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Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the center of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos, which is still the country's most populous city. At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 778,567, making it one of the top ten most populous cities in Nigeria.
Abuja's geography is defined by Aso Rock, a 400-metre monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex, National Assembly, Supreme Court and much of the town extend to the south of the rock.
Other sights include the Nigerian National Mosque and the Nigerian National Christian Centre. The city is served by the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, while Zuma Rock lies nearby. Abuja is known for being the best purpose-built city in Africa as well as being one of the wealthiest and most expensive; however, the population on the semi-developed edges of the city are living in rural areas such as Karu, Nasarawa State.

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Accra
Accra /əˈkrɑː/ is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an estimated urban population of 2,291,352 as of 2012^[update]. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous. Accra is furthermore the anchor of a larger metropolitan area, the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), which is home to about 4 million people, making it the largest metropolitan conglomeration in Ghana by population, and the eleventh-largest metropolitan area in Africa.
Accra stretches along the Ghanaian Atlantic coast and extends north into the country's interior. Originally built around a port, it served as the capital of the British-ruled Gold Coast between 1877 and 1957. Once merely a 19th-century suburb of Victoriaborg, Accra has since transitioned into a modern metropolis; the city's architecture reflects this history, ranging from 19th-century British colonial buildings to modern skyscrapers and apartment blocks.
Accra is Ghana's primate city, serving as the nation's economic and administrative hub. It is furthermore a centre of culture and tourism, sporting a wide range of nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. Since the early 1990s, a number of new buildings have been built, including the multi-storey French-owned Novotel hotel. The city's National Theatre was built with Chinese assistance. In 2010, the GaWC designated Accra a Gamma-minus-level world city, indicating a growing level of international influence and connectedness.

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Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority) is the capital city of Ethiopia. (In Ethiopian languages: Amharic, Addis Abäba [ad�?i�?s aβəβa] "new flower"; Oromo, Finfinne;Ge'ez ኣዲ�?� ኣበባ) It is the largest city in Ethiopia, with a population of 3,384,569 according to the 2007 population census.
As a chartered city (ras gez astedader), Addis Ababa has the status of both a city and a state. It is where the African Union and its predecessor the OAU are based. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and numerous other continental and international organizations. Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as "the political capital of Africa", due to its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent. The city is populated by people from different regions of Ethiopia – the country has as many as 80 nationalities speaking 80 languages and belonging to a wide variety of religious communities. It is home to Addis Ababa University. The Federation of African Societies of Chemistry (FASC) and Horn of Africa Press Institute (HAPI) are also headquartered in Addis Ababa.

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Algiers
Algiers (Arabic: الجزائر‎, al-Jazā’ir; Algerian Arabic: دزاير, Berber: Dzayer / ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000. An estimate puts the population at about 3,574,000 as of 2010.
Called El-Behdja (البهجة) or alternatively Alger la Blanche ("Algiers the White") for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern part of the city is built on the level ground by the seashore; the old part, the ancient city of the deys, climbs the steep hill behind the modern town and is crowned by the casbah or citadel, 122 metres (400 ft) above the sea. The casbah and the two quays form a triangle.
The city name is derived (via French Alger and Catalan Alger) from the Arabic name الجزائر al-Jazā’ir, which translates as "The Islands", referring to the four islands which lay off the city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525. Al-Jazā’ir is itself a truncated form of the city's older name جزائر بني مازغان Jazā’ir Banī Mazghannā, "The Islands of the Sons of Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.

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Angers
Coordinates: 47°28′25″N 0°33′15″W / 47.4736°N 0.5542°W / 47.4736; -0.5542
Angers (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃.ʒe]) is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about 300 km (190 mi) south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins.
Angers proper has a population of 157,000 inhabitants, while c. 283,000 live in its metropolitan area. The city traces its roots to early Roman times. It occupies both banks of the Maine, which is spanned by six bridges. The district along the river has flourishing nurseries and market gardens. It is known for its fresh produce and cut flowers.
The first sign of human presence on the site of Angers is a stone tool dated back to 400,000 BCE (Lower Paleolithic).^{[citation needed]}
The earliest known inhabitants were the Andecavi, a Gallic tribe that was overrun by the Romans. The city, while under Roman rule, was called Juliomagus.
The Council of Angers was held here in 453.

wn.com/Angers
Ansongo Cercle
Ansongo Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of Azawad, a breakaway state from Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Ansongo. The Niger River passes through the cercle and plays an important role in transportation and the economy in the region.
The cercle is divided into seven communes:
Coordinates: 15°45′N 0°45′E / 15.75°N 0.75°E / 15.75; 0.75

wn.com/Ansongo_Cercle
Antananarivo
Antananarivo ( /ˌæntəˌnænəˈriːvoʊ/; Malagasy [antaˈnanaˈrivʷ], from Tanànan'ny Arivolahy), formerly Tananarive ( /təˌnænəˈriːv/ or /təˌnɑːnəˈriːv/), is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana. The larger urban area surrounding the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of Analamanga Region.
Antananarivo is situated in the center of the island length-wise, and 145 km (90 mi) away from the eastern coast. The city occupies a commanding position, being built on the summit and slopes of a long and narrow rocky ridge, which extends north and south for about 4 km (2 mi) and rises at its highest point to about 200 m (660 ft) above the extensive rice plain to the west, although the town is at about 1,275 m (4,183 ft) above sea level. It is Madagascar's largest city and is its administrative, communications, and economic center. The city is located 215 km (134 mi) west-southwest of Toamasina, the principal seaport of the island, with which it is connected by railway, and for about 100 km (62 mi) along the coastal lagoons.

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Asmara
Asmara (Arabic: أسمرة, Tigrinya: ኣስመራ Asmera, formerly known as Asmera, meaning "Made them United" in Tigrinya) is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of 563,930 inhabitants. Sitting at an elevation of 2,325 metres (7,628 ft), it is located at the tip of an escarpment that is both the northwestern edge of the Eritrean highlands and the Great Rift Valley.
Asmara is located in Eritrea's central Maekel Region. It is known for its well-preserved colonial Italian modern architecture, and is divided into thirteen districts or administrative areas: Acria, Abbashaul, Edaga Hamus, Arbaete Asmara, Mai Temenai, Paradiso, Sembel, Godaif, Maekel Ketema or Downtown, Tiravolo, Gejeret, Tsetserat and Gheza Banda.
Although it would be easy to think of Asmara, the Eritrean capital, solely as an Italian built colonial city, its origins actually reach back some 700 years. The Tigringa and Tigre people live around there. Originally, it is said, there were four clans living in the Asmara area on the Kebessa Plateau: the Gheza Gurtom, the Gheza Shelele, the Gheza Serenser and Gheza Asmae. These towns fought each other until the women of each clan decided that to preserve peace the four clans must unite. The men accepted, hence the name Arbate Asmera. Arbaete Asmara literally means, in the Tigrinya language, "the four made them united." Eventually Arbaete was dropped and it has been called Asmara which means "they [feminine, thus referring to the women] made them united", though there is still a zone called Arbaete Asmara. It is now called the Italianized version of the word Asmara. The westernized version of the name is used by a majority of non-Eritreans, while the multilingual inhabitants of Eritrea and neighboring peoples remain loyal to the original pronunciation, Asmera. Another legend tells that in this region the Queen of Sheba gave birth to the son of Solomon, Menelik I.

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Bafoulabé Cercle
Bafoulabé Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bafoulabé. In the 2009 census the population of the cercle was 233,926.
The cercle is divided into thirteen communes:
Coordinates: 13°40′N 10°40′W / 13.667°N 10.667°W / 13.667; -10.667

wn.com/Bafoulabé_Cercle
Bamako
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a population of 1.8 million (2009 Census, provisional). In 2006, it was estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.
Bamako is the nation's administrative center. The city proper is a cercle in its own right. Bamako's river port is located in nearby Koulikoro, along with a major regional trade and conference center. Bamako is the seventh largest West African urban center after Lagos, Abidjan, Kano, Ibadan, Dakar, and Accra. Locally manufactured goods include textiles, processed meat and metal goods. There is commercial fishing on the Niger River.
The name Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning "crocodile river".
The area of the city has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic era for more than 150,000 years. The fertile lands of the Niger River Valley provided the people with an abundant food supply and early kingdoms in the area grew wealthy as they established trade routes linking across west Africa the Sahara and leading to northern Africa and Europe. The early inhabitants traded gold, ivory, Kola nuts and salt. By the 11th century the Empire of Ghana became the first kingdom to dominate the area. Bamako had become a major market town, and a centre for Islamic scholars, with the establishment of two universities and numerous mosques in medieval times.

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Bamako Grand Mosque
Bamako Grand Mosque is a mosque in the city centre of Bamako, Mali. Built on the site of a pre-colonial mud-brick mosque, the current Mosque was built through funding from the Saudi Arabian government at the end of the 1970s. One of the tallest structures in Bamako, the Mosque is situated north of the Niger River near the central Market (Grand Marche) and the colonial era Bamako Cathedral. With its tall cement Minarets built around a square central structure, the building is stylistically closer to Saudi religious structures than West African, the Mosque is visible from much of the city and occasionally is opened to tourists.
Coordinates: 12°38′49″N 7°59′35″W / 12.64694°N 7.99306°W / 12.64694; -7.99306

wn.com/Bamako_Grand_Mosque
Banamba Cercle
Banamba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Banamba, which is also its largest settlement. It lies at the center east of the region.
Banamba Cercle is home to primarily Bambara farmers, and formed part of the pre-colonial Bambara Empire. The Cercle falls largely in the dryer Sahel region, especially in its north, where the population is mostly Fula and Maure pastoralists.
The Banamba Cercle is divided into nine rural communes:
Coordinates: 13°45′N 7°20′W / 13.75°N 7.333°W / 13.75; -7.333

wn.com/Banamba_Cercle
Bandiagara Cercle
Bandiagara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bandiagara.
The cercle is divided into 21 communes:
Coordinates: 14°25′N 3°40′W / 14.417°N 3.667°W / 14.417; -3.667

wn.com/Bandiagara_Cercle
Bangui
Bangui is the capital of and the largest city in the Central African Republic. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, near Bangui. Though located within Ombella-M'Poko prefecture, it is an independent commune, and thus politically independent of the surrounding prefecture.
The city was founded in 1889 in what was then the French colony Haut-Oubangui ('Upper Ubangi'), later renamed Oubangui-Chari and made part of French Equatorial Africa. Named for local rapids, the city grew around the French military post on the Ubangi river. Bangui served as an administration center in the colonial era and continues to be the administrative center of the CAR.
Widespread violence in Bangui followed the March 1981 elections, which took place following a French operation to depose Jean-Bédel Bokassa in 1979 and replace him with David Dacko. Opponents of unpopular Dacko laid siege to Bangui and compelled his flight to exile. Andre Kolingba then formed the Comité Militaire pour le Redressement National (See History of the Central African Republic).

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Bani River
The Bani River is the principal tributary of the Niger River in Mali. The river is formed from the confluence of the Baoulé and Bagoé rivers some 160 km east of Bamako and it merges with the Niger near Mopti. Its length is about 1100 km.
The Bani River has three main tributaries: the Baoulé that rises near Odienné in Côte d'Ivoire and passes just south of Bougouni, the Bagoé that rises near Boundiali in Côte d'Ivoire and the Banifing-Lotio that drains the region around Sikasso. The drainage basin upstream of Douna has an area of 102,000 km², 85% of which lies in southern Mali and 15% in northern Côte d'Ivoire.
The annual rainfall varies across the catchment basin with the southern area in Côte d'Ivoire receiving 1500 mm a year while the northern area around Douna receiving only 700 mm. For the period 1965-1995 the average annual rainfall for the basin was 1100 mm. The rainfall is seasonal with most of the rain falling between May and October. The maximum rainfall occurs in August.
The discharge of the Bani River is also highly seasonal, with the maximum flow occurring at the end of September and very little flow between February and June. The river enters the Inland Niger Delta north of San and after the annual rains the river floods (the French word crue is sometimes used) and covers the floodplain.

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Banjul
Banjul (formerly Bathurst), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital of The Gambia, and is in the division of the same name. The population of the city proper is only 34,828, with the Greater Banjul Area, which includes the City of Banjul and the Kanifing Municipal Council, at a population of 357,238 (2003 census). Banjul is on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island), where the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean. The island is connected to the mainland — by passenger and vehicle ferries to the north and by bridges to the south.
Banjul takes its name from the Mandé people who gathered specific fibres on the island, which were used in the manufacture of ropes. Bang julo is the Mandinka (Mande) word for rope fibre. The mispronunciation led to the word Banjul.^{[citation needed]}
In 1651 Banjul was leased by the Duke of Courland from the king of Kombo, as part of Courland colonization.
In 1816, the British founded Banjul as a trading post and base for suppressing the slave trade. The British renamed the Banjul Island to St. Mary and first named Bathurst after Henry Bathurst, the secretary of the British Colonial Office, but was changed to Banjul in 1973.

wn.com/Banjul
Bankass Cercle
Bankass Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is at the town of Bankass.
The Cercle is divided into 12 rural communes:
Coordinates: 13°40′N 3°40′W / 13.667°N 3.667°W / 13.667; -3.667

wn.com/Bankass_Cercle
Barouéli Cercle
Barouéli Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Barouéli.
The Cercle is divided into 11 communes:
Coordinates: 13°00′N 6°40′W / 13°N 6.667°W / 13; -6.667

wn.com/Barouéli_Cercle
Bissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos. The city which is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, is the country's largest city, major port, administrative and military centre.
The city was founded in 1687 by Portugal as a fortified port and trading center. In 1942 it became the capital of Portuguese Guinea. After the declaration of independence by the anti-colonial guerrillas of PAIGC, in 1973, the capital of the de facto independent territories was declared to be Madina do Boe, but Bissau remained as the capital of the Portuguese-occupied regions, and the de jure capital of the entire Portuguese Guinea. When Portugal recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau and pulled out in 1974 due to the military coup of April 25 in Lisbon, the two territories merged and Bissau became the capital of the new independent state. The city is known for its annual carnival.

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Bla Cercle
Bla Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bla.
The cercle is divided into 17 communes:
Coordinates: 12°57′N 5°45′W / 12.95°N 5.75°W / 12.95; -5.75

wn.com/Bla_Cercle
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein ( /ˈblʊmfɒnteɪn/, Dutch for "fountain of flowers" – lit., "blooms") is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.
Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses", owing to the abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs" and it has been included in the Mangaung Local Municipality since 2000^{[dated info]}.
Bloemfontein is situated on dry grassland at 29°06′S 26°13′E / 29.1°S 26.217°E / -29.1; 26.217, at an altitude of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455.

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Bobo Dioulasso
Coordinates: 11°11′N 4°17′W / 11.183°N 4.283°W / 11.183; -4.283 Bobo-Dioulasso is a city with a population of about 435,543 (as of 2006^[update]), the second largest city in Burkina Faso, Africa, after Ouagadougou, the nation's capital. The name means literally, "home of the Jula who speak Bobo," and is possibly a creation of the French who misunderstood the identity complexities of the location. The local Bobo-speaking population of the city refers to it as Sia. The city is situated in the southwest of the country, in the Houet Province, some 350 km (220 mi) from Ouagadougou. It is significant both economically (agricultural trade, textile industry) and culturally (Bobo is the center of culture and music of Burkina Faso).
At the end of the nineteenth century Sia consisted of two large villages, Tunuma and Sia proper, located at a few hundred meters from each other on a narrow spit of land bounded by 8 to 10 feet deep ravines on either side, carved by the We (Houët) river to the east and by its tributary Sanyo to the west, and three small satellite villages lying beyond this natural border. There were a number of other independent villages in the surroundings (Bindogoso, Dogona, Kwirima, Kpa) which all now lie within the municipal boundaries and are incorporated into the city. The two main villages were occupied by the French on September 25, 1897 after a brief but bloody confrontation. Soon afterwards the French created an administrative settlement near them, on the east side of the We river, which became the headquarters of a district ("cercle") carrying the same name, Bobo-Dioulasso.

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Bougouni Cercle
Bougouni Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bougouni.
The cercle is divided into 26 communes:

Coordinates: 11°24′58″N 7°35′49″W / 11.416°N 7.597°W / 11.416; -7.597

wn.com/Bougouni_Cercle
Bourem Cercle
Bourem Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of south-eastern Azawad, disputed with Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bourem.
The cercle is divided into five communes:
Coordinates: 16°56′46″N 0°18′47″W / 16.946°N 0.313°W / 16.946; -0.313

wn.com/Bourem_Cercle
Brazil
Brazil ⁱ/brəˈzɪl/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people. It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone country in the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.

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Brazzaville
Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River. As of the 2001 census, it has a population of 1,018,541 in the city proper, and about 1.5 million in total when including the suburbs located in the Pool Region. The populous city of Kinshasa (more than 10 million inhabitants in 2009), capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lies just across the Congo River from Brazzaville. Together with Kinshasa, the combined conurbation of Kinshasa-Brazzaville has thus nearly 12 million inhabitants (although significant political and infrastructure challenges prevent the two cities from functioning with any meaningful connection). Over a third of the population of the Republic of Congo lives in the capital, and it is home to 40% of non-agricultural employment. It is also a financial and administrative capital.
In order to distinguish between the two African countries with "Congo" in their names, the Republic of the Congo is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, as opposed to Congo-Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known from 1971 to 1997 as Zaire, the capital of which is Kinshasa). Kinshasa lies on the southern bank of the Congo, across from Brazzaville. This is the only place in the world where two national capital cities are situated on opposite banks of a river, within sight of each other.

wn.com/Brazzaville
Bujumbura
Bujumbura ( /ˌbuːdʒəmˈbʊərə/; French pronunciation: [buʒumbuʁa]) is the capital and largest city and main port of Burundi and ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore. It is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika.
The city center is a colonial town with a large market, the national stadium, a large mosque, and the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Bujumbura. Museums in the city include the Burundi Museum of Life and the Burundi Geological Museum. Other nearby attractions include the Rusizi National Park, the Livingstone-Stanley Monument at Mugere (where David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley visited 14 days after their first historic meeting at Ujiji in Tanzania), the presidential palace and the source of the southernmost tributary of the Nile, described locally as the source of the Nile.
Ferries sail from Bujumbura to Kigoma in Tanzania, while the city is also home to the Bujumbura International Airport and the University of Burundi.

wn.com/Bujumbura
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (ⁱ/bərˌkiːnə ˈfɑːsoʊ/ bər-KEE-nə FAH-soh; French: [buʁkina faso]) – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest. The country's capital is Ouagadougou.
Its size is 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) with an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed on 4 August 1984, by President Thomas Sankara, to mean "the land of upright people" in Mòoré and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. Figuratively, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity", from the Mòoré language, and "Faso" means "fatherland" in Dioula. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè ( /bərˈkiːnəbeɪ/ bər-KEE-nə-bay).
Burkina Faso was populated between 14,000 and 5000 BC by hunter-gatherers in the country's northwestern region. Farm settlements appeared between 3600 and 2600 BC. What is now central Burkina Faso was principally composed of Mossi kingdoms. These Mossi Kingdoms would become a French protectorate in 1896. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president is Blaise Compaoré.

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Cairo
Cairo ( /ˈkaɪroʊ/ KYE-roh; Arabic: القاهرة‎ al-Qāhira, literally "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror"), is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Located near the Nile Delta, it was founded in the year 969 A.D. making it 1,043 years old. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid dynasty in the 10th century AD.; but the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the ancient cities of Memphis, Giza and Fustat which are nearby to the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.
Egyptians today often refer to Cairo as Maṣr (Arabic: مصر‎), the Arabic pronunciation of the name for Egypt itself, emphasizing the city's continued role in Egyptian influence. Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab World, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city, and the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence.

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Cape Town
Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: iKapa) is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is also Africa's most popular tourist destination.
Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.

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Conakry
Conakry (Sosso: Kɔnakiri) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500. Originally situated on Tombo Island, one of the Îles de Los, it has since spread up the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula.
The population of Conakry is difficult to ascertain, although the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs has estimated it at 2 million. Conakry is thought to contain almost a quarter of the population of Guinea.
According to a legend, the name of the city comes from the fusion of the name "Cona", a wine producer of the Baga people, and the word "nakiri", which means in Sosso the other bank or side.
Conakry was originally settled on tiny Tombo Island and later spread to the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula, a 36-kilometer (22 mi) long stretch of land 0.2 to 6 kilometers (660 to 20,000 ft) wide. The city was essentially founded after Britain ceded the island to France in 1887. In 1885, the two island villages of Conakry and Boubinet had fewer than 500 inhabitants. Conakry became the capital of French Guinea in 1904 and prospered as an export port, particularly after a (now closed) railway to Kankan opened the large scale export of groundnut from the interior.

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Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (French: Conseil de l'Europe) is an international organization promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It was founded in 1949, has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens, and is an entirely separate body from the European Union (EU), which has only 27 member states. Unlike the EU, the Council of Europe cannot make binding laws. The two do however share certain symbols such as the flag of Europe. The Council of Europe has nothing to do with either the Council of the European Union or the European Council, which are both EU bodies.
The best known bodies of the Council of Europe are the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharmaceutical products in Europe. The Council of Europe's work has resulted in standards, charters and conventions to facilitate cooperation between European countries.

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Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland. Its position, on the western edge of Africa, is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port.
According to December 31, 2005 official estimates, the city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45 million people.
Dakar is a major administrative centre, home to the National Assembly of Senegal and Senegal's President's Palace.
The Cape Verde Peninsula was settled, no later than the 15th century, by the Lebou, an ethnic group related to the neighboring Wolof and Sereer. The original villages: Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff and Hann, still constitute distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. Meanwhile, in 1444, the Portuguese arrived on the island of Gorée and founded a settlement there. By 1536, they had begun using it as a base for the export of slaves. The mainland of Cap-Vert, however, was under control of the Jolof Empire, as part of the western province of Cayor which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549. A new Lebou village, called Ndakaaru, was established directly across from Gorée in the 17th century to service the European trading factory with food and drinking water. Gorée was captured by the United Netherlands in 1588, which gave it its present name (spelled Goeree, after Goeree-Overflakkee in Holland). The island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch several more times before falling to the English under Admiral Robert Holmes on January 23, 1664, and finally to the French in 1677. Though under continuous French administration since, Métis families, descendant from Dutch and French traders and African wives, dominated the slave trade. The infamous "House of Slaves" was built here in 1776.

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Dioïla Cercle
Dioïla Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Dioïla. It lies at the southeast corner of the region, and prior to 1977, it was combined with what is now Kati Cercle and the District of Bamako in the "Bamako Cercle", with the capital city as its seat.
The Dioïla Cercle is divided into 23 communes:
Dioïla Cercle is home to primarily Bambara farmers, and formed part of the pre-colonial Bambara Empire. Because of this, and its rural character, Animism persisted in this area well into the 20th century. There are also populations of Muslim Maraka, Fula, and Bozo fishing communities. The Cercle falls largely south of the dryer Sahel land, in the wetter Sudan. It is also home to the headwaters of the Bani River.
Coordinates: 12°29′24″N 6°47′20″W / 12.490°N 6.789°W / 12.490; -6.789

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Diré Cercle
Diré Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Diré.
The cercle is divided into 13 communes:
Coordinates: 16°15′22″N 3°24′36″W / 16.256°N 3.410°W / 16.256; -3.410

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Diéma Cercle
Diéma Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. Its administrative center (chef-lieu) is the small town of Diéma. The Cercle is divided into one urban commune and fourteen rural communes. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 212,062.
The cercle is divided into 15 communes:
Coordinates: 14°35′N 9°15′W / 14.583°N 9.25°W / 14.583; -9.25

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Djenné Cercle
Djenné Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Djenné. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 207,260 people.
The Djenné Cercle is divided into 12 communes:
Coordinates: 13°55′N 4°35′W / 13.917°N 4.583°W / 13.917; -4.583

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Dodoma
Dodoma (literally "It has sunk" in Gogo), officially Dodoma Urban District, population 324,347 (2002 census), is the national capital of Tanzania, and the capital of the Dodoma region. In 1973, plans were made to move the capital to Dodoma. Tanzania's National Assembly moved there in February 1996, but many government offices remain in the previous national capital, Dar es Salaam, which remains the commercial capital.
Located at 6°10′23″S 35°44′31″E / 6.17306°S 35.74194°E / -6.17306; 35.74194Coordinates: 6°10′23″S 35°44′31″E / 6.17306°S 35.74194°E / -6.17306; 35.74194, in the centre of the country, the town is 486 kilometres (302 mi) west of the former capital at Dar es Salaam and 441 kilometres (274 mi) south of Arusha, the headquarters of the East African Community. It covers an area of 2,669 square kilometres (1,031 sq mi) of which 625 square kilometres (241 sq mi) is urbanized. It is located near Ihumwa, another largely populated area.
Out of the total population, 157,469 people (48.5 percent) are male while 166,878 people (51.5 percent) are female. The estimated total number of households is 74,914 with an average household size of 4.3 people. The Roman Catholic Church reports that 19.2% of the population are Roman Catholics. Dodoma is populated by different ethnic groups because it is a government administrative centre, although the indigenous ethnic groups are the Gogo, Rangi, and Sandawe. There are also small Arab and Indian minorities.^{[citation needed]}

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Douentza Cercle
Douentza Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region that is claimed by Mali but considered part of the de facto independent state of Azawad by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. It is the southernmost part of the Azawad, according to the MNLA's territorial claim. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Douentza.
The route of the annual circular migration of the Gourma elephants crosses a number of communes in the cercles of Douentza and Gourma-Rharous (Tombouctou Region).
The cercle is divided into 15 communes:
Coordinates: 15°05′N 2°40′W / 15.083°N 2.667°W / 15.083; -2.667

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Forcados River
The Forcados River is a channel in the Niger Delta, in southern Nigeria. It flows for approximately 198 km and meets the sea at the Bight of Benin in Delta State. It is an important channel for small ships. The Forcados River splits from the Niger River at the same point as the Nun River.
People have been fishing on this river for years and then came to a dock on the Niger River to sell/store and use for personal consumption. Coordinates: 5°18′30″N 6°25′0″E / 5.30833°N 6.416667°E / 5.30833; 6.416667
In the early years of the 20th century, Forcados was a destination port for steamers from England until the river silted up.

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France
France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km² (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

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Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city in the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. Freetown is Sierra Leone's economic, financial, cultural and educational center. The city's economy revolves largely around its harbor - occupying a part of the estuary of the Sierra Leone River in one of the world's largest natural deep water harbours. Queen Elizabeth II Quay is capable of receiving oceangoing vessels and handles Sierra Leone's main exports.
The city proper had a population of 772,873 at the 2004 census, with a current estimate of 1,070,200 (about 17% of Sierra Leone's total population). The population of Freetown is ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse. The city is home to significant numbers of all of the country's ethnic groups, although it is the primary home of the Sierra Leone Creole people (descendants of Liberated Africans, African-Americans and West Indians) who make up the minority of the population in the city. As in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language is the city's primary language of communication and is by far the most widely spoken language in the city.

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Gaborone
Gaborone (Tswana IPA: [χabʊˈrʊnɪ];^{[missing tone]} English /ˌɡæbəˈroʊniː/ or /ˌxɑːbəˈroʊneɪ/, named after Chief Kgosi Gabarone) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana.
Gaborone is situated between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the South African border. The city is served by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding South-East District. Locals often refer to the city as Gabs.
Because the city had no tribal affiliation and was close to fresh water, the city was planned to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became an independent nation. The center of the city is a long strip of commercial businesses, called the Mall, with a semicircle-shaped area of government offices to the west of the Mall. The city is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and this has created problems with housing and illegal settlements. The city has also dealt with conflicts spilling into the country from Zimbabwe and South Africa during the 1980s.

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Gao
Gao (pronounced /goʊ/) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, lying 320 km (200 mi) east-southeast of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it had a population of 86,633 in 2009.
For much of its history Gao was an important commercial centre involved in the trans-Saharan trade. External Arabic sources state that by the 9th century Gao was already an important regional power, and by the end of the 10th century, the local ruler was a Muslim. Towards the end of the 13th century, Gao lost its independence and became part of the Mali Empire, but in first half of the 15th century, the town regained its independence and with the conquests of Sonni Ali (ruled 1464–1492) Gao became the capital of the Songhai Empire. The Empire collapsed after the Moroccan invasion in 1591 and the invaders chose to make Timbuktu their stronghold. By the time of Heinrich Barth's visit in 1854, Gao had declined to become a impoverished village with 300 huts constructed from matting. By 2009, it had a population of 86633.

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Gao Cercle
Gao Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of south-eastern Azawad, though it is claimed by and internationally recognised as part of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Gao, the Azawadi interim capital.
The cercle is divided into seven communes:
Coordinates: 16°45′N 0°35′E / 16.75°N 0.583°E / 16.75; 0.583

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Gao Region
The Gao Region is located in southeastern Azawad, which disputes the claim with Mali. The region's capital city is Gao, which is also the national capital of Azawad as declared by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. It is internationally recognised as Malian territory due to Azawad's lack of relations with any state. Gao Region is bordered to the south and east by Niger, to the north by Kidal Region, and to the west by Tombouctou Region. Common ethnicities in the Gao Region include the Songhai, Bozo, Tuareg, Bambara, and Kounta. Its cities include Gao, Bourem, and Bamba.
For administrative purposes, the Gao Region is divided into four cercles:
Gao Region formerly comprised the entire eastern portion of the country, east of Tombouctou Region. However in 1991 the northern half of Gao Region was separated off to become the new Kidal Region.

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Geography of Benin
Benin, a narrow, key-shaped, north-south strip of land in West Africa, lies between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Benin's latitude ranges from 6°30′ N to 12°30′ N and its longitude from 1° E to 3°40′ E. Benin is bounded by Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east, and the Bight of Benin to the south. With an area of 112,622 square kilometers, roughly the size of Pennsylvania and slightly bigger than Bulgaria, Benin extends from the Niger River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south, a distance of 700 km (435 mi). Although the coastline measures 121 km (75 mi), the country measures about 325 km (202 mi) at its widest point. It is one of the smaller countries in West Africa, about one eighth the size of Nigeria, its neighbor to the east. It is, however, twice as large as Togo, its neighbor to the west. A relief map of Benin shows that it has little variation in elevation (average elevation 200 meters).
The country can be divided into four main areas from the south to the north. The low-lying, sandy, coastal plain (highest elevation 10 meters) is, at most, 10 km wide. It is marshy and dotted with lakes and lagoons communicating with the ocean. The plateaus of southern Benin (altitude comprised between 20 meters and 200 meters) are split by valleys running north to south along the Couffo, Zou, and Oueme Rivers, an area that has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic ecoregion. Then an area of flat lands dotted with rocky hills whose altitude seldom reaches 400 meters extends around Nikki and Save. Finally, the Atacora mountain range extends along the northwest border and into Togo with the highest point, Mont Sokbaro, at 658 meters.

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Geography of Nigeria
Nigeria is a country in West Africa. Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south and it borders Lake Chad to the northeast. Noted geographical features in Nigeria include the Adamawa highlands, Mambilla Plateau, Jos Plateau, Obudu Plateau, the Niger River, River Benue and Niger Delta.
Nigeria is found in the Tropics, where the climate is seasonally damp and very humid. Nigeria is affected by four climate types; these climate types are distinguishable, as one moves from the southern part of Nigeria to the northern part of Nigeria through Nigeria's middle belt.
The Tropical rainforest climate or the Equatorial monsoon, designated by the Köppen climate classification as "Af", is found in the southern part of the country. This climate is influenced by the monsoons originating from the South Atlantic ocean, which is brought into the country by the (maritime tropical) MT airmass, a warm moist sea to land seasonal wind.Its warmth and high humidity gives it a strong tendency to ascend and produce copious rainfall, which is a result of the condensation of water vapour in the rapidly rising air.

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Germany
Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.

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Goundam Cercle
Goundam Circle is a second-level administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region in northern Mali in the area Azawad claimed by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. Its administrative center is the town of Goundam, although the most populous commune is that of Tonka. In the 2009 census, the circle had a population of 150,150.
Although Goundam Cercle extends far into the north of Mali, the entire northern two thirds in covered by the inhospitable Sahara desert. In the south, the seasonal lakes and rivers along the northern edge of the Inner Niger Delta provide a meager living for the population, mostly occupied in pastoralism, farming, and fishing. The population is Tuareg and Maure nomads in the vast north, with settlements of Fula people, Songhai people, and Bozo people in the far south of the Cercle. Seasonal lakes in this area include Lake Faguibine, Lac Télé, Lac Fatil and Lac Oro. There is an airport at Goundam, and a highway running towards Mopti far to the southwest and east to the regional capital of Timbuktu.

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Guinea
Guinea ⁱ/ˈɡɪni/, officially the Republic of Guinea (French: République de Guinée), is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea (Guinée française), it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Guinea has almost 246,000 square kilometres (94,981 sq mi) and a population of 10,057,975. It forms a crescent by curving from its western border on the Atlantic Ocean toward the east and the south. Its northern border is shared with Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali, the southern one with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire. The Niger River's source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea.
Guinea is geographically divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures. Conakry is the capital, largest city and economic centre. The other major cities in the country include Kankan, Nzérékoré, Kindia, Labe, Guéckédou, Mamou and Boke.
Guinea's 10 million people belong to twenty-four ethnic groups. The largest and most prominent groups are the Fula 40%, Mandingo 30%, and Susu 20%.

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Harare
Harare ( /həˈrɑreɪ/; before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,606,000 (2009), with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area (2006). Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its administrative, commercial, and communications centre. The city is a trade centre for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Manufactures include textiles, steel, and chemicals, and gold is mined in the area. Harare is situated at an elevation of 1483 metres (4865 feet) and its climate falls into the warm temperate category.
Harare is the site of the University of Zimbabwe, the largest institution of higher learning in Zimbabwe, which is situated in the suburb of Mount Pleasant, about 6 km north of the city centre. Numerous suburbs surround the city, retaining the names colonial administrators gave them during the 19th century, such as Warren Park, Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant, Marlborough, Tynwald and Avondale.

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Hargeisa
Hargeisa (Somali: Hargaysa, Arabic: هرجيسا‎) is a the second-largest city in Somalia, located in the Woqooyi Galbeed region. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. It was the colonial capital of the British Somaliland protectorate from 1941 to 1960, when it gained independence as the State of Somaliland and united with Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic.
The city is situated in a valley in the Galgodon (Ogo) highlands, and sits at an elevation of 4,377 feet (1,334 m). Home to rock art from the Neolithic period, Hargeisa is also a commercial hub for precious stone-cutting, construction, retail services and importing/exporting, among other activities.
Numerous cave paintings from the Neolithic period are found in the Laas Gaal complex, on the outskirts of Hargeisa. During November and December 2002, an archaeological survey was carried out in the area by a French team of researchers. The expedition's objective was to search for rock shelters and caves containing stratified archaeological infills capable of documenting the period when production economy appeared in this part of Somalia (circa 5,000 and 2,000 BCE). During the course of the survey, the French archaeological team discovered the Laas Gaal rock art, encompassing an area of ten rock alcoves (caves). In an excellent state of preservation, the paintings show human figures with their hands raised and facing long-horned, humpless cattle.

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Ibadan
Ibadan (Yoruba: Ìbàdàn or fully Ìlú Ẹ̀bá-Ọ̀dàn, the city at the junction of the savannah and the forest) is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area. At Nigerian independence, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg.
Ibadan is located in south-western Nigeria, 128 km inland northeast of Lagos and 530 km southwest of Abuja, the federal capital, and is a prominent transit point between the coastal region and the areas to the north. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of the old Western Region since the days of the British colonial rule, and parts of the city's ancient protective walls still stand to this day. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yoruba people.
Ibadan came into existence in 1829. According to local historians, Lagelu, the Jagun (commander-in-chief) of Ife and Yoruba's generalissimo, left Ile Ife with a handful of people from Ife, Oyo and Ijebu to found a new city, Eba Odan, which literally means 'between the forest and plains.' According to HRH Sir Isaac Babalola Akinyele, the late Olubadan (king) of Ibadan (Olu Ibadan means Lord of Ibadan), in his authoritative book on the history of Ibadan, Iwe Itan Ibadan, printed in 1911, the first city was destroyed due to an incident at an Egungun (masquerade) festival when an Egungun was accidentally disrobed and derisively mocked by women and children in an open marketplace full of people. In Yorubaland, it was an abomination for women to look an Egungun in the eye because the Egunguns were considered to be the dead forefathers who returned to the earth each year to bless their progeny. When the news reached Sango, the then Alaafin of Oyo, he commanded that Eba Odan be destroyed for committing such abominable act.

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Inner Niger Delta
Coordinates: 14°37′00″N 4°30′00″W / 14.6166667°N 4.5°W / 14.6166667; -4.5
The Inner Niger Delta, also known as the Macina, is a large area of lakes and floodplains in the semi-arid Sahel area of central Mali, just south of the Sahara desert.
The delta consists of the middle course of the Niger River, between the bifurcated Niger and its tributary, the Bani, which from here run north towards the desert. The Niger is the longest river in West Africa. Towns such as the river-port of Mopti, Sévaré and Djenné, with its mud-brick Great Mosque lie in the 400 km-long region.
The Fulani and Dogon inhabit the Macina region and the surrounding area, which has a population of over 500,000. Most of the year the area has a hot and dry climate, with hot winds from the nearby Sahara raising the temperature up to 40° C. During the wet season, which lasts from July to September but lasts longer the further south one goes, the swamp floods into a lake and naturally irrigates the land. When the dry season comes, the Macina turns into a network of lakes and channels. Cattle, pearl millet, and rice are its important agricultural products. The Macina inland delta also provides water and fish for the Malians living there and during the wet season is a haven for large numbers of birds.

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Ivory Coast
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire ⁱ/ˌkoʊt dɨˈvwɑr/ (French: [kot d‿ivwaʁ]) or Ivory Coast ⁱ/ˌaɪvəri ˈkoʊst/ is a country in West Africa. It has an area of 322,462 square kilometres (124,503 sq mi), and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009. Côte d'Ivoire's first national census in 1975 counted 6.7 million inhabitants.
Prior to its colonization by Europeans, Côte d'Ivoire was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. There were two Anyi kingdoms, Indénié and Sanwi, which attempted to retain their separate identity through the French colonial period and after Côte d'Ivoire's independence. An 1843–1844 treaty made Côte d'Ivoire a protectorate of France and in 1893, it became a French colony as part of the European scramble for Africa.
Côte d'Ivoire became independent on 7 August 1960. From 1960 to 1993, the country was led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny. It maintained close political and economic association with its West African neighbours, while at the same time maintaining close ties to the West, especially to France. Since the end of Houphouët-Boigny's rule, Côte d'Ivoire has experienced one coup d’état, in 1999, and a civil war, which broke out in 2002. A political agreement between the government and the rebels brought a return to peace. Côte d'Ivoire is a republic with a strong executive power invested in the President. Its de jure capital is Yamoussoukro and the biggest city is the port city of Abidjan. The country is divided into 19 regions and 81 departments. It is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, African Union, La Francophonie, Latin Union, Economic Community of West African States and South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone.

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Juba
Juba is the capital and largest city of the Republic of South Sudan. It also serves as the capital of Central Equatoria, the smallest of the ten states of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and functions as the seat and metropolis of Juba County.
In 2005, Juba's population was 163,442. Based on analysis of aerial photos, the best estimate of several donors working in Juba calculated the 2006 population at approximately 250,000. The 5th Sudan Population and Housing Census took place in April/May 2008, stating the population of Juba County to be 372,413 (the majority residing in Juba City, which dominates the county), but the results were rejected by the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan. Juba is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and is developing very rapidly due to oil money and the Chinese coming for work and development. In 2011, the population of the city of Juba is estimated at approximately 372,410.
Population growth:
In the 19th century, a trading post and a mission was located in the vicinity of Juba called Gondokoro. It was the southernmost outpost of the Egyptian garrison, supported by a handful of soldiers, mostly ill due to the malaria and blackwater fever that was dominant in the region. Gondokoro was also the base of the explorer and campaigner Sir Samuel Baker during his expeditions to what is now Southern Sudan and northern Uganda from 1863 to 1865, and from 1871 to 1873.

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Kadiolo Cercle
Kadiolo Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kadiolo.
The cercle is divided into nine rural communes:
Coordinates: 10°38′N 5°50′W / 10.633°N 5.833°W / 10.633; -5.833

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Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.
Mutesa I, the Kabaka (king) of Buganda, had chosen the area that was to become Kampala as one of his favorite hunting grounds. The area was made up of hills and wetlands. It was an ideal breeding ground for various game, particularly a species of antelope, the impala (Aepyceros melampus).
The city grew as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, from which several buildings survive, including the Kasubi Tombs (built in 1881), the Lubiri Palace, the Buganda Parliament and the Buganda Court of Justice. Severely damaged in the Uganda-Tanzania War, the city has since then been rebuilt with constructions of new buildings including hotels, banks, shopping malls, educational institutions, hospitals and improvement of war torn buildings and infrastructure. Traditionally, Kampala was a city of seven hills, but over time it has come to have a lot more.

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Kangaba Cercle
Kangaba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town and commune of Benkadi Habaladougou (Kenieba), also known as Kangaba. It lies at the southwest corner of the region, along the Guinean border, with the Niger River forming its southern edge.
The Kangaba Cercle is the smallest cercle in the Koulikoro Region, both in surface area and population. It is divided into nine communes.
Kangaba Cercle is home to primarily Bambara and Malinké farmers, and formed part of the precolonial Bambara Empire as well as (first) the Ghana and Mali Empires back to the 8th century.
It was the center of Kangaba Province of the Mali Empire, and for a period after 1559, was the capital of the empire. In 1599 it became the last center for Mansa Mahmud IV after his defeat at Djenné, and a Kangaba city state survived after the empire's fall in 1610. Prior to the Mali Empire, the Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faamas ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas.Sundiata Keita began his revolt against the remnants of the Ghana Empire there, and it remained the heartland of the Mali state.

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Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 km² and comprises six Local Government Area (LGAs) - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a population of 2,163,225 at the 2006 Nigerian census. The Metropolitan Area covers 499 km² and comprises eight LGAs - the six mentioned above plus Ungogo and Kumbotso - with a population of 2,828,861 at the 2006 Nigerian census.
The principal inhabitants of the city are of the Hausa people. As in most parts of Northern Nigeria, the Hausa Language is widely spoken in Kano. The city is the capital of the Kano Emirate, and the current Emir, Ado Bayero, has been on the throne since 1963. The city is home to the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the main airport serving northern Nigeria and was named after Nigerian politician Aminu Kano.
In the 7th century, Dala Hill, a residual hill in Kano, was the site of a hunting and gathering community that engaged in iron work; it is unknown whether these were Hausa people or speakers of Niger–Congo languages. Kano was originally known as Dala, after the hill, and was referred to as such as late as the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by Bornoan sources.

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Kati Cercle
Kati Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Kati, which is also its largest town. It lies at the southwest corner of the region, and completely surrounds the Bamako Capital District. Until the capital was hived off in 1977, the combined Cercle was called Bamako Cercle, with the capital city as its seat.
Kati Cercle is home to primarily Bambara farmers, as well as Bozo and Fula populations. The Kati area formed part of the pre-colonial Beledougou region of the Bambara Empire, and was amongst the first places colonised by the French in the last decade of the 19th century.
The Cercle falls largely south of the dryer Sahel land, in the wetter Sudan. Through it runs the fertile valley of the Niger River, home to groundnut, cotton, and tobacco farms, as well as being a major transportation and fishing resource.
The Kati Cercle is divided into 37 communes:
Coordinates: 12°30′N 8°20′W / 12.5°N 8.333°W / 12.5; -8.333

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Kayes
Kayes (Bambara Kayi, Soninké Xaayi) is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River, with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the administrative region of the same name. The name "Kayes" comes from the Soninké word "karré", which describes a low humid place that floods in rainy season. The city is located 420 kilometres (260 mi) northwest of the capital Bamako.
Prior to French colonial expansion, Kayes was a small village. Its location on the path of the future Dakar-Niger Railway, and the French need for trade centers, led to the creation of the Kayes market town in 1881. It remains a transport hub, primarily for Senegalese trade, to this day. In 1892, Kayes became the capital of the French Sudan; Bamako replaced it as the capital, first of the state of Haut Sénégal-Niger on October 17, 1899, then as the capital of all of French Sudan in 1908.
Kayes lies on the Route Nationale 1 (RN1) highway and is 612 km (380 mi) by road from Bamako and 96 km (60 mi) from the border with Senegal. The town has an international airport (Kayes Airport), and lies on the Dakar-Niger Railway, in an area rich in gold and iron.

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Kayes Cercle
Kayes Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. Its seat is the city of Kayes, which is also the capital of its Region and its largest city. The Cercle is further divided into Communes. The city of Kayes is subdivided into Urban Communes and Wards (French: Quartiers). Kayes Cercle's population in 2009 was 513,362.
Coordinates: 14°30′N 11°30′W / 14.5°N 11.5°W / 14.5; -11.5

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Kayes Region
Kayes Region is one of eight first level national subdivisions, called Regions in Mali. It is the first administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 120,760 km². Its capital is the town of Kayes.
The region of Kayes is bordered to the north by Mauritania, to the west by Senegal, to the south by Guinea and to the east by the region of Koulikoro.
In 2009 the region has a population of 1,996,812 inhabitants. Ethnic groups of the area include Soninkés, Khassonkés, Malinkés, and Fulas (French: Peuls; Fula: Fulɓe).
Several rivers cross the region: the Baoulé, the Bafing, and the Bakoy which join at the town of Bafoulabé to form the Sénégal River. The Falls of Félou (15 km from Kayes), the Falls of Gouina (60 km to the south-east of Kayes on the Sénégal River), Talari Gorges, Lake Magui and Lake Doro are located in the region.
At the Guinean border, the climate is rather wet, but becomes Sudanian and later Sahelian to the north.
The largest cities in the region are Kayes, Nioro du Sahel, Diéma, Yélimané, Sadiola, Bafoulabé, Kéniéba and Kita.

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Khartoum
Khartoum (Arabic: الخرطوم‎ al Ḫarṭūm) is the capital and second largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran", meaning the Confluence. The main Nile continues to flow north towards Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Divided by the Niles, Khartoum is a tripartite metropolis with an estimated overall population of over five million people consisting of Khartoum proper^{[clarification needed]}, and linked by bridges to Khartoum North called (al-Khartūm Bahrī) and Omdurman (Umm Durmān) to the west.
The origin of the word is uncertain. One tradition is that khartoum derives from Arabic kartūm الخرطوم meaning 'end of an elephant’s trunk', probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles. Captain J. A. Grant, who reached Khartoum in 1863 with Captain Speke’s expedition, thought that the derivation was most probably from the Arabic qurtum, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), which was cultivated extensively in Egypt for its oil, used in burning.^{[citation needed]}

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Kidal
Kidal (tifinagh: ⴾⴸⵍ) is a town and commune in northern Mali, the capital of Kidal Region, including the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad claims as part of Azawad, unrecognized by the international community. As well as the main town, the commune contains 31 villages. The town is 285 km north east of Gao.
On 30 March 2012, Kidal and its military base were captured by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad as part of the Tuareg rebellion for the independence of Azawad. A spokesman for the Malian military junta said "To preserve the life of the people of Kidal, the military command decided not to prolong the battle".Gao and Timbuktu were captured within the next 48 hours, and on 6 April, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.

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Kidal Cercle
Kidal Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kidal. The cercle is divided into rural and urban communes, and below this, quarters/villages. In 2009 the cercle had a population of 25,617.
The climate is typical Saharian with very little rainfall and large fluctuations in temperature. The average annual rainfall is around 130 mm but there are large year to year variations with 204 mm recorded in 1999 and only 66 mm in 1990.
The Kidal Cercle contains the following communes:
Coordinates: 18°30′N 1°25′E / 18.5°N 1.417°E / 18.5; 1.417

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Kidal Region

Kidal Region is the eighth administrative region of Mali, covering 151,430 km². This area was formerly part of Gao Region, but was created as a separate region in 1991. It is located in the north of the country, within the territory which the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad proclaimed to be the independent nation-state of Azawad on 6th April 2012. This independence has not been recognized by any country or international organization. It is currently under the control of different armed movements such as the Ansar Dine and MNLA. The Region's administrative capital is the town of Kidal.
The region is bordered on the west by Tomboctou Region, to the south by Gao Region, to the east by Niger and to the north by Algeria.
Kidal has a desert climate with day-time temperatures that reach as high as 45°C (113°F).
In 2009 the region had a population of 67,638. In addition 30% of its population, mostly Tuareg and Songhai were displaced to North Africa during the 1990s.
The largest towns of the region are Kidal, Tessalit, and Aguel'hoc.

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Kigali
Kigali (rarely Kigale), with population of almost 1 million (2009), is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation. The city has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of Rwanda are located in the city, as are the government ministries. The city is coterminous with the province of Kigali City, which was enlarged in January 2006, as part of local government reorganisation in the country. The city's urban area covers about 70% of the municipal boundaries. The city population has varied around the national percentages: Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15% and Twa (Pygmy) at 1%.
Kigali was founded in 1907 under German colonial rule, but did not become the capital until Rwandan independence in 1962. The traditional capital was the seat of the mwami (king) in Nyanza, while the colonial seat of power was in Butare, then known as Astrida. Butare was initially the leading contender to be the capital of the new independent nation, but Kigali was chosen because of its more central location. Since then the city has grown very quickly and is now the major political, economic and cultural centre of Rwanda.

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Kinshasa
Kinshasa (formerly French Léopoldville, and Dutch Leopoldstad (help·info)) is the capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River.
Once a site of fishing villages, Kinshasa is now an urban area with a population of nearly 10 million inhabitants. It faces the capital of the neighbouring Republic of Congo, Brazzaville which can be seen in the distance across the wide Congo River. Because the administrative boundaries cover such a vast area, over 60% of the city's land is rural in nature, and the urban area only occupies a small section in the far western end of the province.
Kinshasa holds the status of the second largest city in Africa, after Cairo.
Residents of Kinshasa are known as Kinois (in French and sometimes in English) or Kinshasans (English).
The city was founded as a trading post by Henry Morton Stanley in 1881 and named Léopoldville in honor of King Leopold II of Belgium, who controlled the vast territory that is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not as a colony but as a private property. The post flourished as the first navigable port on the Congo River above Livingstone Falls, a series of rapids over 300 kilometres (190 mi) below Leopoldville. At first, all goods arriving by sea or being sent by sea had to be carried by porters between Léopoldville and Matadi, the port below the rapids and 150 km (93 mi) from the coast. The completion of the Matadi-Kinshasa portage railway in 1898 provided a faster and more efficient alternative route around the rapids and sparked the rapid development of Léopoldville. By 1920, the city was elevated to capital of the Belgian Congo, replacing the town of Boma in the Congo estuary.

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Kita Cercle
Kita Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kita. In the 2009 census the population of the cercle was 434,379.
The cercle is divided into 33 communes:
Coordinates: 13°15′N 9°20′W / 13.25°N 9.333°W / 13.25; -9.333

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Kolokani

Kolokani is a town of approximately 57,307 inhabitants in Mali's Koulikoro Region.
It is the capital of the Cercle of Kolokani, which consists of 10 rural communes (Didieni, Guihoyo, Kolokani, Massantala, Nonkon, Nossombougou, Ouolodo, Sagabala, Sebecoro and Tioribougou). The cercle of Kolokani has an area of 14,380 km² and a population of 163,886 inhabitants.

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Kolokani Cercle
Kolokani Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Kolokani, which is also its largest settlement. It lies directly to the north of Kati Cercle. Also to the south, (surrounded by the Kati Cercle) is the District of Bamako, which after independence was carved out of the middle of the Region. The cercle is further divided into communes.
The Kolokani Cercle is divided into ten communes:
Kolokani Cercle in the west center of Koulikoro Region, and covers some 12,000 km². It is home to primarily Bambara farmers. Kolokani forms the center of the precolonial Beledougou region, an area which remained staunchly animist after the fall of the Bambara Empire. In 1915, much of the population revolted against French forced conscription in a rising led by Koumi Diosse Traore. The north of the Cercle is dry, Sahel land, primarily used for livestock, and runs along the interface of the wetter Sudan to the south.
Coordinates: 13°45′N 8°10′W / 13.75°N 8.167°W / 13.75; -8.167

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Kolondieba Cercle
Kolondiéba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kolondiéba.
The cercle is divided into the urban commune of Kolondiéba and 11 rural communes:

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Koro Cercle
Koro Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center is the town of Koro.
The cercle is divided into 16 communes:
Coordinates: 14°20′N 2°50′W / 14.333°N 2.833°W / 14.333; -2.833

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Koulikoro
Koulikoro is a town and urban commune in Mali. The capital of the Koulikoro Region, Koulikoro is located on banks of the Niger River, 59 kilometres (37 mi) downstream from Mali's capital Bamako.
Koulikoro is industrialized and is the terminus of the Dakar-Niger Railway. Between August and November, at the end of the rainy season, the Niger River can be used to transport goods to Ségou, Mopti, Tombouctou and Gao.

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Koulikoro Cercle
Koulikoro Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Koulikoro, which is also the capital of the region. A major trade and industrial town on the Niger River, Koulikoro has been surpassed by Kati to the west as the largest town in the region. Also to the southwest, lying entirely within Kati Cercle but administratively separate, is the District of Bamako, which after independence was carved out of the middle of the region.
The Koulikoro Cercle is divided into ten communes:
Koulikoro Cercle in the east center of Koulikoro Region, and covers over 7,000 km². It is home to primarily Bambara farmers, including large export Mango plantations along the river. Other farm products include groundnuts, cotton, tobacco and Shea butter. The north of the Cercle is dry, Sahel land, primarily used for livestock.
Coordinates: 13°05′N 7°20′W / 13.083°N 7.333°W / 13.083; -7.333

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Koulikoro Region
Koulikoro Region is a region in western Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km². Its capital is the city of Koulikoro.
The region of Koulikoro is bordered by Mauritania on the north, the region of Kayes on the west, by Guinea and the region of Sikasso on the south, and by the region of Ségou to the east. In 2009 the Koulikoro Region had a population of 2,418,305. These were mainly Bambaras, Malinkés and Somonos around the Niger River.
The region is irrigated by several rivers, including the Niger, Baoulé, Sankarani, Baogé, Bani and Bafing. The climate of the region's south has the high rainfall typical of the Sudan, while north of the Kita-Bamako axis, it tends to a Sahelian aridity.
The largest cities of the region are Kati, Koulikoro, Kolokani, Nara, Banamba and Dioïla; however the most populous commune is Kalabancoro. The Boucle du Baoulé National Park and the natural reserves of Fina, Kongossambougou and Badinko shelter a diversity of wildlife.

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Koutiala Cercle
Koutiala Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center is the town of Koutiala. The Cercle is divided into 36 communes.
Koutiala is the heartland of the cotton production in Mali and its main town is sometimes called "the white gold capital" for its cotton. However, the industry has been affected by stagnation since the 1980s. Aside from cotton it is also noted for grain production, primarily millet, sorghum and maize.
The Cercle of Koutiala is divided into 36 communes:
Coordinates: 12°20′N 5°35′W / 12.333°N 5.583°W / 12.333; -5.583

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Kéniéba Cercle
Kéniéba Cercle is a subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kéniéba.
Kéniéba Cercle contains the Malian section of the hilly Bambouk region, the historic gold mining region of the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire. Kéniéba Cercle is divided from the Senegalese Bambouk by the valley of the Falémé River.
The cercle is subdivided into twelve communes:
Coordinates: 12°40′N 11°00′W / 12.667°N 11°W / 12.667; -11

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Lagos
Lagos (/ˈleɪɡɒs/ LAY-gos) is a port city and the most populous city in Nigeria. Officially, the population of Lagos was last recorded at 7,937,932. Lagos is the second fastest growing city in Africa and the 7th fastest in the world. Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people. Under the leadership of their Olofin, the Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and then to the larger Lagos Island. In the 15th century, the Awori settlement was attacked by the Benin Empire following a quarrel, and the island became a Benin war-camp called "Eko" under Oba Orhogba, the Oba of Benin at the time.
Lagos is a huge metropolis which originated on islands separated by creeks, such as Lagos Island, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon whilst protected from the Atlantic Ocean by long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 km east and west of the mouth. From the beginning, Lagos has expanded on the mainland west of the lagoon and the conurbation, including Ikeja and Agege, now reaches more than 40 km north-west of Lagos Island. Some suburbs include Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry, and more local councils have recently been created, bringing the total number of local governments in Lagos to 57.

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Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.
The area was inhabited by the Mpongwé tribe long before the French acquired the land in 1839. In 1846, L'Elizia, a Brazilian ship carrying slaves for sale, was captured by the French navy near Loango. The slaves were freed and founded Libreville (French for "Freetown") in 1848. It was the chief port of French Equatorial Africa from 1934 to 1946 and was the central focus of the Battle of Gabon in 1940.
Libreville was named in imitation of Freetown and grew only slowly as a trading post and a minor administrative centre to a population of 32,000 on independence in 1960. It only received its first bank branch when Bank of West Africa (BAO) opened a branch in 1930. Since independence, the city has grown rapidly and now houses nearly half the national population.
From north to south, major districts of the city are the residential area Batterie IV, Quartier Louis (known for its nightlife), Mont-Bouët and Nombakélé (busy commercial areas), Glass (the first European settlement in Gabon), Oloumi (a major industrial area) and Lalala, a residential area. The city’s port and train station on the Trans-Gabon Railway line to Franceville lie in Owendo, south of the main built-up area. Inland from these districts lie poorer residential areas.

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Lilongwe
Lilongwe, estimated population 781,538 as of 2012, is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It lies in the country's central region, on the Lilongwe River, near the border of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and on the main north-south highway of Malawi, the M1.
The city started life as a small village on the banks of the Lilongwe river, and became a British colonial administrative centre at the beginning of the 20th century. Due to its location on the main north-south route through the country and the road to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Lilongwe became the second largest city in Malawi after Blantyre. In 1975, the capital of the country was formally moved from Zomba to Lilongwe. Lilongwe has grown immensely since then and since 2008 has been the largest city in Malawi. All parliament members are required to spend time in the capital. Although Lilongwe is the political centre of Malawi, in some respects Blantyre remains the economic capital.
Many European and South African expatriates live in Lilongwe, and many NGOs (Care International, Plan International, Concern Worldwide, Population Services International, The UNC Project, World Camp, Baylor International AIDS Initiative, Baobab Health Trust, WaterAID), international aid organisations (Peace Corps, USAID, DFID,UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFAO, WFP), and international corporations, particularly tobacco-related firms, operate out of Lilongwe. As a result, most western visitors will find the city to be accommodating and friendly. Many coffee shops, cafes, bars, clubs, restaurants, and even a casino are located in Lilongwe. In Lilongwe, as opposed to rural Malawi, one can live, work, or vacation in a manner that most westerners would consider typical, if not luxurious.

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Lobamba
Lobamba is the traditional and legislative capital of Swaziland, seat of the Parliament and residence of the Queen Mother. It is located in the west of the country, in the Ezulwini Valley , 16 km from Mbabane, in the district of Hhohho. Its population is 5,800.
Lobamba is famous for two ceremonies: the Reed Dance, celebrated in August and September in honour of the Queen Mother, and the Incwala, in December and January in honour of the King. These ceremonies include dancing, singing, and celebrations with traditional attire.
The Embo State Palace, the Royal Kraal, Swazi National Museum, Parliament of Swaziland and a museum dedicated to Sobhuza II of Swaziland lie in the town, while the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and Matsapha Airport lie nearby.
Coordinates: 26°28′S 31°12′E / 26.467°S 31.2°E / -26.467; 31.2

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Lokoja
Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, in central Nigeria, and is a port on Niger River.
Founded by William Balfour Baikie according to European historical records, although there have been indigenous people living in the area for thousands of years. Lokoja was the capital of British Northern Nigeria Protectorate and remained a convenient administrative town for the British colonial government after the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorates into one nation called Nigeria in 1914.
The first Governor General Lord Frederick Lugard ruled the new nation of Nigeria from Lokoja. The city has since grown to an estimated 90000 inhabitants. It is a trade center for its agricultural region because it sits at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, and is close to the new federal capital of Nigeria in Abuja. Near Lokoja (in Ajaokuta) are metallurgy facilities and iron ore mines.
Lokoja is also a Local Government Area of Kogi State with an area of 3180 km² and a population of 195,261 at the 2006 census. It is bounded by the Niger in the north and east upstream from the capital until the border with Kwara State, and includes the city of Lokoja. The postal code of the area is 260. It is home to the Kogi State Polytechnic.

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Lomé
Lomé, with a population of 837,437 (Metro population 1,570,283), is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels. It also has an oil refinery.
The city was founded in the 18th century by the Ewe people.
The city's population grew rapidly in the second half of the 20th century. The city had approximately 30,000 inhabitants in 1950: by 1960 (the year Togo gained its independence from France) the population had reached 80,000, increasing to 200,000 by 1970.
Since 1975, investments grew by 10% in the past year and had been targeted for development. At the same time, railways, which have an important role in serving the suburbs of the city, deteriorated however.
Market gardening around the city increased, spurred by growing unemployment, rural migration and the demand for vegetables. Market gardening, first extended to the north, is carried on mainly along the beach (whose sand is very salty), and planting hedges provides protection.

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Luanda
Coordinates: 8°50′18″S 13°14′04″E / 8.83833°S 13.23444°E / -8.83833; 13.23444
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of over 5 million. It is also the capital city of Luanda Province, and the world's third most populous Portuguese-speaking city, behind only São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, both in Brazil.
The city is currently undergoing a major reconstruction, with many large developments taking place that will alter the cityscape significantly. Luanda was ranked the most expensive city to live in for expatriates by Mercer, for 2011.
Portuguese explorer Paulo Dias de Novais founded Luanda on 25 January 1576 as "São Paulo da Assumpção de Loanda", with a hundred families of settlers and four hundred soldiers. In 1618 the Portuguese built the fortress called Fortaleza São Pedro da Barra, and they subsequently built two more: Fortaleza de São Miguel (1634) and Forte de São Francisco do Penedo (1765-6). Of these, the Fortaleza de São Miguel is the best preserved.

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Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,265 feet). It has a population of about 1.7 million (2010 census). It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head north, south, east and west from it. The three main languages spoken in Lusaka are English, Nyanja, and Bemba (the latter two are Bantu languages). English is the official language. Lusaka is one of the fastest-developing cities in Southern Africa.
As national capital, Lusaka is the seat of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, epitomized by the presence of the National Assembly (parliament), the State House (office of the President), and the High Court. The Parliament is situated at the Parliament complex, which features a 15-story building. The city is also the capital of Lusaka Province, the smallest and most populous of the country's nine provinces, and forms an administrative district run by Lusaka City Council. In 2007, the mayor was Steven Chilatu (PF), and the deputy mayor was Mary Phiri.

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Macina Cercle
Macina Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Macina.
The cercle is divided into 11 communes:
Coordinates: 13°55′N 5°25′W / 13.917°N 5.417°W / 13.917; -5.417

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Malabo
Malabo ( /məˈlɑːboʊ/) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island (formerly Fernando Pó) on the rim of a sunken volcano.. With a fast growing population of 155,963 (2005) it is also the second largest city in the country, after Bata in Río Muni on the African mainland.
The city was first founded by the British in 1827, who leased the island from Spain during the colonial period. Named Port Clarence, it was used as a naval station in the effort to suppress the slave trade. Many newly freed slaves were also settled there, prior to the establishment of Liberia as a colony for freed slaves. While many of them later relocated to Sierra Leone, some of their descendants, called Fernandinos, can still be found in Malabo and the surrounding area, where they constitute a distinct ethnic group, speaking their own Afro-Portuguese pidgin dialect.
When the island reverted to complete Spanish control, Malabo was renamed Santa Isabel. It was chosen to replace the mainland city of Bata as the capital of the country in 1969, and was renamed Malabo in 1973 as part of President Francisco Macías Nguema's campaign to replace European place names with "authentic" African ones.

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Mali
Mali ⁱ/ˈmɑːli/, officially the Republic of Mali (French: République du Mali, French pronunciation: [maˈli]), is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with a population of 14.5 million. Its capital is Bamako. Mali consists of eight regions and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara, while the country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the Niger and Sénégal rivers. The country's economic structure centers around agriculture and fishing. Some of Mali's natural resources are gold, uranium, livestock, and salt. About half the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
Present-day Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade: the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire (from which Mali is named), and the Songhai Empire. In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali making it a part of French Sudan. French Sudan (then known as the Sudanese Republic) joined with Senegal in 1959, achieving independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. Shortly thereafter, following Senegal's withdrawal from the federation, the Sudanese Republic declared itself the independent Republic of Mali. After a long period of one-party rule, a 1991 coup led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state. On 22 March, 2012, a group of junior soldiers seized control of the country's presidential palace and declared the government dissolved and its constitution suspended. On 6 April, 2012, rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) declared the secession of a new state, Azawad, from Mali.

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Mamoudzou
Coordinates: 12°46′50″S 45°13′40″E / 12.7806°S 45.2278°E / -12.7806; 45.2278
Mamoudzou is the capital of the French overseas region and department of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. Mamoudzou, known as Momoju in the local Shimaore language, is the most populated commune (municipality) of Mayotte. It is located on Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), the main island of Mayotte. The former capital of Mayotte was Dzaoudzi, on the small island of Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), but Mamoudzou was chosen as the capital in 1977. The island is located in the Mozambique Channel, between northern Mozambique and northern Madagascar.
The commune is composed of 6 villages in addition to its central habitation, also called Mamoudzou. These are: Kawéni, Mtsapéré, Passamainti, Vahibé, Tsoundzou I and Tsoundzou II.
The commune is also subdivided into 3 cantons; Mamoudzou I, Mamoudzou II and Mamoudzou III.

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Manhattan
Manhattan (/mænˈhætən/) is the most densely populated and the oldest of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the U.S. state of New York. The borough and county consist of Manhattan Island and several small adjacent islands: Roosevelt Island, Randall's Island, Wards Island, Governors Island, Liberty Island, part of Ellis Island,Mill Rock, and U Thant Island; as well as Marble Hill, a very small area on the mainland bordering the Bronx. The original city of New York began at the southern end of Manhattan, expanded northward, and then between 1874 and 1898, annexed land from surrounding counties.
The New York County is the most densely populated county in the United States, and one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with a 2010 population of 1,585,873 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles (59.5 km²), or 69,464 residents per square mile (26,924/km²), more dense than any individual American city. It is also one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, with a 2005 per capita income above $100,000. Manhattan is the third-largest of New York's five boroughs in population, and its smallest borough in land area.

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Maputo
Maputo, known as Lourenço Marques before independence, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its municipal building. Today it is a port city on the Indian Ocean, with its economy centered around the harbour. According to the 2007 census, the population is 1,766,184.Cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures cement, pottery, furniture, shoes, and rubber. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as its own province.
It is estimated that 80% of the city's population live in slums without running water or electricity, but the city has little money to invest in infrastructure. Inequality in Maputo has grown considerably as it experienced economic growth rates as high as 9% annually.
On the northern bank of Espírito Santo Estuary of Delagoa Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean, Lourenço Marques was named after the Portuguese navigator, who with a companion (António Caldeira) was sent in 1544 by the governor of Mozambique on a voyage of exploration. They explored the lower courses of the rivers emptying their waters into Delagoa Bay, notably the Espírito Santo. The various forts and trading stations which the Portuguese established, abandoned and reoccupied on the north bank of the river were all called Lourenço Marques. The existing town dates from about 1850, the previous settlement having been entirely destroyed by the natives. The town developed around a Portuguese fortress completed in 1787.

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Markala
Markala is a commune in Mali's Ségou Region on the Niger River 35 km down river from the town of Ségou. The commune contains 30 villages and in 2009 had a population of 45,961. Mali's primary irrigation dam, the Markala dam, lies in the commune. The main village of the commune, Diamarabougou, is on the right bank adjacent to the dam which also serves as an important road bridge.
The French colonial authorities constructed the dam between 1934 and 1945 to irrigate farmland with the intention of producing cotton for the textile industry. The dam is 2450 m in length and functions as a weir in that water can flow over the top. It diverts water into a canal system that extends 135 km to the north past the small towns of Niono and Sokolo in the 'Delta Mort' region. Each year around 2.7 km³ of water is diverted from the river, which corresponds to 8.3 percent of the total flow. The water is used to irrigate about 750 square kilometers of farmland. The scheme is managed by the Office du Niger and in 1999/2000 produced 320,000 tons of rice, representing 40 percent of the total Malian production.

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Maseru
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 (2006). The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the country became a British protectorate in 1869. When the country achieved independence in 1966, Maseru retained its status as capital. The name of the city is a Sesotho word meaning "place of the red sandstone".
Maseru was founded by the British as a small police camp in 1869, following the conclusion of the Free State-Basotho Wars when Basutoland became a British protectorate. Maseru is located at the edge of the "conquered territories" relinquished to the Orange Free State (now the Free State province of South Africa) as part of the peace terms. It was located 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Basotho King Moshoeshoe I's stronghold of Thaba Bosiu, the previous de facto capital. A bustling market town soon grew around the area.

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Mauritania
Mauritania ⁱ/mɔrɪˈteɪniə/ (Arabic: موريتانيا‎ Mūrītānyā; Berber: Muritanya / Agawej; Wolof: Gànnaar; Soninke: Murutaane; Pulaar: Moritani; French: Mauritanie), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in West Africa and in the Maghreb. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara (controlled by Morocco) in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest. It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which later became a province of the Roman Empire, even though the modern Mauritania covers a territory far to the south of the old Berber kingdom that had no relation with it. The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.
The government of Mauritania was overthrown on 6 August 2008, in a military coup d'état led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. On 16 April 2009, General Aziz resigned from the military to run for president in the 19 July elections, which he won. In Mauritania about 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day.

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Mbabane
Mbabane (Swati: ÉMbábáne), with an estimated population of 95,000 (2007), is the capital and second largest city in Swaziland after Manzini. It is located on the Mbabane River and its tributary the Polinjane River in the Mdimba Mountains. It is located in the district of Hhohho, of which it is also the capital. The average elevation of the city is 1243 meters. The population (estimated) in 1987 was 30,000. It lies on the MR3 road.
The town grew after the nation's administrative centre moved from Bremersdorp (now called Manzini) in 1902. It derives its name from a Chief, Mbabane Kunene, who lived in the area when British settlers arrived.

Mbabane is located in the district of Hhohho, of which it is also the capital, and lies on the Mbabane River and its tributary the Polinjane River in the Mdimba Mountains. The average elevation of the city is 1243 meters. Neighborhoods and suburbs include Mbangweni, Sidwashini, Kent Rock, Sandla, Westridge Park, Malunge, New Checkers, Msunduza and Vukutentele.

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Milo River
The Milo River is a river in Guinea in west Africa. The Milo River flows into the River Niger.
Coordinates: 11°04′13″N 9°13′25″W / 11.07028°N 9.22361°W / 11.07028; -9.22361

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Mogadishu
Mogadishu ( /ˌmɒɡəˈdɪʃuː/; Somali: Muqdisho; Arabic: مقديشو‎ Maqadīshū; Italian: Mogadiscio, literally "The Seat of the Shah"), popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries.
Tradition and old records assert that southern Somalia, including the Mogadishu area, was historically inhabited by hunter-gatherers of Bushman physical stock. These were later joined by Cushitic agro-pastoralists, who would go on to establish local aristocracies. Starting in the late 9th or 10th centuries, Arab and Persian traders also began to settle in the region.
During its medieval Golden Age, Mogadishu was ruled by the Somali-Arab Muzaffar dynasty, a vassal of the Ajuuraan State. It subsequently fell under the control of an assortment of local Sultanates and polities, most notably the Gobroon Dynasty. The city later became the capital of Italian Somaliland in the colonial period.

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Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately. The city is governed as a metropolitan city called Greater Monrovia District, which had a population of 970,824 as of the 2008 census, containing 29% of the total population of Liberia and is the country's most populous city. Monrovia is the cultural, political and financial hub for the entire country. The body that administers the government of Greater Monrovia District is the Monrovia City Corporation.
Founded in 1822, Monrovia is named in honor of U.S. President James Monroe, a prominent supporter of the colonization of Liberia. Along with Washington, D.C., it is one of two national capitals to be named after a U.S. President. Monrovia was founded thirty years after Freetown, Sierra Leone, the first permanent Black American settlement in Africa. The city's economy is dominated by its harbor, and government offices. Monrovia's harbor was significantly expanded by U.S. forces during the Second World War and the main exports include latex and iron ore. Materials are also manufactured on-site, such as cement, refined petroleum, food products, bricks and tiles, furniture and chemicals. Located near the confluence of the Mesurado and Saint Paul rivers, the harbor also has facilities for storing and repairing vessels.

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Mopti
Mopti (Pronounced Mohti) is a city at the confluence of the Niger and the Bani in Mali, between Timbuktu and Ségou. The city lies on three islands linked by dykes: the New Town, the Old Town and Medina Coura. As a result it is sometimes known as the "Venice of Mali".
The city of Mopti derives its name from the Fulfulde word for gathering. The islands had long been inhabited, but Mopti was only founded in the nineteenth century as part of the Massina Empire, later becoming the base of El Hadj Umar Tall. With French domination, Mopti became known for its egret feather industry.
Due to the limited land available, Mopti is very densely built compared to most Malian cities, containing many multi-story buildings and narrow streets. Originally, the islands were much smaller than they are today; first linked by dykes in the early twentieth century, the areas around and between natural islands have been gradually filled and raised—often by deposition of household trash, a process that still continues today in areas such as the western edge of the Old Town.

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Mopti Cercle
Mopti Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Mopti.
The cercle is divided into 15 communes:
Coordinates: 14°40′N 4°05′W / 14.667°N 4.083°W / 14.667; -4.083

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Mopti Region
Mopti is the fifth administrative region of Mali, covering 79,017 km². Its capital is the city of Mopti.
Mopti Region is bordered by Tombouctou Region to the north, Ségou Region to the southwest, and Burkina Faso to the southeast.
The population in the 2009 census was 2,037,330. The region contains a number of ethnic groups including Bozo, Songhai, Dogon, Fulani and Bambara.
The Niger River crosses the region, and is joined by the Bani, an important tributary, at the city of Mopti.
The region is separated into several areas: the Inland Niger Delta around Mopti, the Bandiagara cliffs and the plain of Bankass along the Burkina Faso frontier. Mount Hombori, the highest point in Mali at 1153 meters, is in the Mopti Region, near the city of the same name.
In terms of its climate, Mopti Region is considered part of the Sahel.
The largest towns of the region are Mopti, Sévaré (which lies within Mopti Commune), Djenné, Bandiagara, Bankass and Youwarou.
An airport at Mopti provides air service for the region, while the Niger River provides transportation to Koulikoro and Ségou to the west and Tombouctou and Gao to the east.

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Morocco
Morocco (Arabic: المغرب‎ al-Maghrib ; Berber: ⵍⵎⴻⵖⵔⵉⴱ / ⴰⵎⴻⵔⵔⵓⴽElmeɣrib / Amerruk), officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of about 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed region of the Western Sahara, seen by and mostly administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. Morocco is part of the Maghreb region, in addition to Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya, with which it shares cultural, historical and linguistic ties.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive powers, including the power to dissolve the parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government but more importantly by the king himself. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can also issue decrees called dahirs which have the force of law. The latest Parliamentary elections were held in November 25, 2011, and were considered by some neutral observers to be mostly free and fair. Voter turnout in these elections was estimated to be 43% of registered voters, but only about 25% of Moroccan adult citizens actually voted. The rest either chose not to vote or they were not registered as voters. The political capital is Rabat, but the largest city is Casablanca; other main cities include Marrakesh, Tetouan, Tangier, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes, Oujda, Kenitra, and Nador.

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Nairobi
Nairobi ( /naɪˈroʊbi/) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to "cold water," the Maasai name of the Nairobi river, which in turn lent its name to the city. However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is surrounded by several expanding villa suburbs. Residents of Nairobi are known as Nairobians.
Founded by the British in 1899 as a simple rail depot on the railway linking Mombasa to Uganda, the town quickly grew to become the capital of British East Africa in 1907 and eventually the capital of a free Kenyan republic in 1963. During Kenya's colonial period, the city became a centre for the colony's coffee, tea and sisal industry. Nairobi is also the capital of the Nairobi Province and of the Nairobi District. The city lies on the Nairobi River, in the south of the nation, and has an elevation of 1795 m above sea-level.
Nairobi is the most populous city in East Africa, with a current estimated population of about 3 million. According to the 2009 Census, in the administrative area of Nairobi, 3,138,295 inhabitants lived within 696 km² (269 sq mi). Nairobi is currently the 12th largest city in Africa, including the population of its suburbs.

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Nara Cercle
Nara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Nara, which is also the capital of its Region and its largest town.
Nara Cercle is the northernmost area of Koulikoro Region, and abuts the desert regions of Mauritania to the north. It covers some 30,000 km2, and is home to Bambara and Sarakole (Soninké) peoples, as well as semi-nomadic Maure and Fula peoples, engaged in farming and livestock raising.
Nara Cercle is divided into 11 communes:
Coordinates: 15°10′06″N 7°17′25″W / 15.168461°N 7.290154°W / 15.168461; -7.290154

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Niafunké Cercle
Niafunké Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Niafunké. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 184,285. The Niger River runs for 100 km through the cercle.
The cercle is subdivided into eight rural communes:
Coordinates: 15°55′N 3°50′W / 15.917°N 3.833°W / 15.917; -3.833

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Niamey
Niamey (French pronunciation: [njaˈmɛ]) is the capital and largest city of the West African country of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic centre. Niamey's population, which was estimated at 774,235 in 2006, is now projected to be much higher.
The city is located in a pearl millet growing region, while manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement and weaving.
Niamey was probably founded in the eighteenth century, but was of little importance to most of the country until the French developed a colonial post in the 1890s. This rapidly grew into an important center. In 1926 it became the capital of Niger, and the population gradually increased, from about 3,000 in 1930 to around 30,000 in 1960. The period from 1970 to 1988 was one in which the economy of Niger boomed, driven by revenue from the uranium mines at Arlit. In this period, the population of Niamey grew from 108,000 to 398,365 inhabitants. The city expanded from 1,367 hectares (3,380 acres) in 1970 to 4,400 hectares (11,000 acres) by 1977, in the process annexing peripheral villages such as Lazaret.

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Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. The area was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 until 1893, when it was expanded and became the Niger Coast Protectorate.
The Niger Delta, as now defined officially by the Nigerian government, extends over about 70,000 km² and makes up 7.5% of Nigeria’s land mass. Historically and cartographically, it consists of present day Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States. In 2000, however, Obansanjo's regime included Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River State, Edo, Imo and Ondo States in the region. Some 31 million people of more than 40 ethnic groups including the Efik, Ibibio, Annang, Oron, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Igbo, Isoko, Urhobo, Yoruba, and Kalabari, are among the inhabitants in the Niger Delta, speaking about 250 different dialects.
The Niger Delta, and the "South South Zone", which includes Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State and Rivers State are two different entities. While the Niger Delta is the oil producing region the South South Zone is a geo-political zone.

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Niger River
The Niger River ( /ˈnaɪdʒər/ NY-jər) is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 4,180 km (2,600 mi). Its drainage basin is 2,117,700 km² (817,600 sq mi) in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea. It runs in a crescent through Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, discharging through a massive delta, known as the Niger Delta or the Oil Rivers, into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded only by the Nile and the Congo River (also known as the Zaïre River). Its main tributary is the Benue River.
The Niger is called Jeliba or Joliba "great river" in Manding; Orimiri or Orimili "great water" in Igbo; Egerew n-Igerewen "river of rivers" in Tuareg; Isa Ber "big river" in Songhay; Kwara in Hausa; and Oya in Yoruba. The origin of the name Niger, which originally applied only to the middle reaches of the river, is uncertain. The likeliest possibility is an alteration, by influence of Latin niger "black", of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen, which is used along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu. As Timbuktu was the southern end of the principal Trans-Saharan trade route to the western Mediterranean, it was the source of most European knowledge of the region.

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Niono Cercle
Niono Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Niono.
The cercle is divided into 12 communes:
Coordinates: 14°45′N 6°00′W / 14.75°N 6°W / 14.75; -6

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Nioro Cercle
Nioro Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. Its administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Nioro du Sahel. The commune is on the Mauritanian border and has long been a major stop on the trans-Saharan trade.
The cercle is divided into 16 communes:
Coordinates: 15°05′N 9°45′W / 15.083°N 9.75°W / 15.083; -9.75

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Nouakchott
Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط‎ or انواكشوط‎ (believed translation from Berber "The place of the winds", Nawākšūṭ) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania.
A tiny fishing town until 1958, Nouakchott was little mentioned during pre-colonial and colonial history. It is possible that the Berber Muslim Almoravids were originally from the area. Despite its name, based on a Berber expression meaning "place of the winds", the city was selected as the capital city for its moderate climate and central location within the country. It did, however, sit on one of the most valuable trade routes to West Africa.
Mauritania was part of the larger French colony of French West Africa, and as such had no capital during the colonial period: Saint-Louis, in Senegal, held that position. In 1957, this small port town was chosen to be the capital of the new country, and an ambitious building program was begun to increase its population to 15,000, starting a year later. In 1958, Mauritania was formed as an autonomous republic in the French Community, and in 1960 it became an independent country, with Nouakchott as its capital.

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Nun River
The Nun River is a river in Nigeria. The Nun is formed when the Niger River splits in two, forming the Nun and Forcados rivers.
The Nun River is immortalised in the poetry of Gabriel Okara. His poem "The Call of the River Nun" is a nostalgic ode to the river that passes through his home.

(Nun River may also be an alternative name for the Nen River in Manchuria.)
Coordinates: 5°18′30″N 6°25′00″E / 5.30833°N 6.4166667°E / 5.30833; 6.4166667

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Onitsha
Onitsha (Igbo: Ọnịcha Mmili or just Ọnịcha) is a city, a commercial, educational, and religious centre and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria.
In the early 1960s, before the Nigerian Civil War (see also Biafra), the population was officially recorded as 76,000, and the town was distinctive in a number of dimensions; the great Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe (born and raised in the contiguous town of Ogidi) characterized it as harboring an "esoteric region from which creativity sallies forth at will to manifest itself," "a zone of occult instability" (see "Onitsha Matters" [1]). Though it experienced great suffering during and after the civil war, by virtue of its still-strategic geographic position Onitsha has continued to develop, and by 2001 had an estimated population of 511,000 with a metropolitan population of 1,003,000. It is currently one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
The indigenous people of Onitsha are Igbo and speak the Igbo language. It is here worth noting that Onitsha should not be confused with the other municipalities of the same name Onicha lying further east in Nigeria: Onicha-Uboma, Onicha-Uburu, Onicha-Agu, Onicha-Nwenkwo, Onicha-EnuguEzike, Onicha Ngwa, Onicha Nkwerre etc.. On the west bank of the River Niger exists also Onicha Ugbo, Onicha Olona and Onicha Ukwuani. All of which speak Igbo as their native language.

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Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou ( /ˌwɑːɡəˈduːɡuː/; Mossi: [ˈwaɡᵊdᵊɡᵊ]) is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 (as of 2006). The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais. The spelling of the name Ouagadougou is derived from the French orthography common in former French African colonies. If English orthography were used (as in Ghana or Nigeria), the spelling would be Wagadugu.
Ouagadougou's primary industries are food processing and textiles. It is served by an international airport, rail links to Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and to Kaya in the north of Burkina, and a highway to Niamey, Niger. Ouagadougou was the site of Ouagadougou grand market, one of the largest markets in West Africa, which burned in 2003 and remains closed. Other attractions include the National Museum of Burkina Faso, the Moro-Naba Palace (site of the Moro-Naba Ceremony), the National Museum of Music, and several craft markets.

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Port Louis
Port Louis (French pronunciation: [pɔʁlwi]) is the capital of Mauritius. It is the largest city of the country and main port, which borders the Indian Ocean. It is located in the Port Louis District. The population of the administrative district was estimated at 128,483, and the urban area at 148,416 in December 2010^[update].
Port Louis was already in use as a harbor in 1638. In 1735, under French government, it became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning halt for French ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. The Port is named in honour of King Louis XV. The first Governor was Count Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais.
The population of the city is now largely made up of the descendants of laborers who were hired for labour from India in the 19th century. Slaves were previously introduced by the British and French who colonized the island in the 18th century. After the abolition of slavery in 1835, many Indian and Chinese workers were brought to work the land, and cultivate sugar cane, at that time used to produce rum. The Immigration Depot in Port Louis is a World Heritage Site commemorating this great migration.

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Praia
Praia (pronounced Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾajɐ], meaning "beach", in both Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole), is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports. The city centre is known as Plateau due to its location on a small plateau.
Praia is Cape Verde's largest city, a commercial centre, and a port that ships coffee, sugar cane, and tropical fruits. Praia also has a fishing industry and there are resort beaches nearby. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name.
The town of Praia de Santa Maria appeared in 1615 when it took the place of the previous settlement on the plateau, which was originally favored because the nearby port (Santa Maria beach) offered good conditions for ships. Initially used as a clandestine harbor (in order to avoid customs fees at the then capital Ribeira Grande), the settlement gradually acquired the characteristics of a town after much of the population from Ribeira Grande fled there during its decline in the midst of frequent pirate attacks. The official transfer of capital status from Ribeira Grande to Praia took place in 1770.

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Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital. Pretoria is contained within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as one of several constituent former administrations (among which also Centurion and Soshanguve). Pretoria itself is sometimes referred to as "Tshwane" due to a long-running and controversial proposed change of name, which has yet to decided as of 2012.
The city's original name was Pretoria Philadelphia ("Pretoria of brotherly love"). It gave its name to the Pax Praetoriana, referring to the country's relative stability.
Pretoria in South Africa is popularly known as The Jacaranda City due to the thousands of Jacaranda trees planted in its streets, parks and gardens.
The Southern Transvaal Ndebele occupied the river valley, which was to become the location of the city of Pretoria, by around 1600.

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Rabat
Rabat (Arabic الرباط; Amazigh ⵕⴱⴰⵟ, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ or Rbat, literally "Fortified Place"; French Ville de Rabat; Spanish Ciudad de Rabat), is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000 (2010). It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region.
The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, the city's main commuter town. Together with Temara the cities account for a combined metropolitan population of 1.8 million. Silting problems have diminished the Rabat's role as a port; however, Rabat and Salé still maintain important textile, food processing and construction industries. In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat one of the most important cities in the country. Controversy surrounds sweatshop labour by major multinational corporations in the area (see Salé).
Rabat is accessible by train through the ONCF system and by plane through the nearby Rabat-Salé Airport.

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Sahara
The Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء الكبرى‎, Aṣ-Ṣaḥrā´ al-Kubrā, "The Great Desert") is the world's largest hot desert and second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over 9,400,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi), it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as China or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, it is delimited by the Sahel, a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna that composes the northern region of central and western Sub-Saharan Africa.
Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 metres (590 ft) in height. The name comes from the Arabic word for desert: (صَحراء ṣaḥrāʾ [sˤɑħrɑːʔ] ( listen)).
The Sahara's boundaries are the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea on the north, the Red Sea on the east, and the Sudan (region) and the valley of the Niger River on the south. The Sahara is divided into western Sahara, the central Ahaggar Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Air Mountains (a region of desert mountains and high plateaus), Ténéré desert and the Libyan desert (the most arid region). The highest peak in the Sahara is Emi Koussi (3,415 m/11,204 ft) in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad.

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San Cercle
San Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of San.
The cercle is divided into 25 communes:
Coordinates: 13°18′N 4°54′W / 13.3°N 4.9°W / 13.3; -4.9

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Sankarani River
The Sankarani River is a tributary of the Niger River Flowing northward from the Fouta Djallon highlands of Guinea, it crosses into southern Mali, where it joins the Niger approximately 40 km upstream of Bamako. It forms a part of the Côte d'Ivoire – Guinea border and a part of the Guinea–Mali border.
The Sankarani River watershed, traditionally well suited to crops and rich in iron and gold, covers some 35500 km², two thirds of which are in Guinea, where it is joined by its largest tributary, the Dion River. In Mali, it flows into the Niger River upstream of Bamako. Prior to the construction of the Selingue Dam in 1980, the Sankarani had an average discharge where it met the Niger of 405 m³/s. From 1980 to 2004, this average has dropped to 265 m³/s.
At the height of its power, from the 13th to 16th centuries CE, the capital of the ancient Mali Empire is believed to have been at Niani, on the banks of Sankarani .
Coordinates: 12°00′15″N 8°18′46″W / 12.00417°N 8.31278°W / 12.00417; -8.31278

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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia (ⁱ/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbi.ə/ or ⁱ/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbi.ə/; Arabic: السعودية‎ as-Su‘ūdīyah^{[citation needed]} or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية‎ al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km² (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as the Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as being Islamic, though this is contested by many due to its strong basis in Salafism, a minority school of thought in Islam. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.

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Senegal
Senegal ⁱ/ˌsɛnɨˈɡɔːl/ (French: le Sénégal), officially the Republic of Senegal (République du Sénégal, IPA: [ʁepyblik dy seneɡal]), is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north. Senegal is externally bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south; internally it almost completely surrounds The Gambia, namely on the north, east and south, exempting Gambia's short Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi), and has an estimated population of about 13 million. The climate is tropical with two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.
Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, is located at the westernmost tip of the country on the Cap-Vert peninsula. About 500 kilometres (300 mi) off the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, lie the Cape Verde Islands. During the 17th and 18th centuries, numerous trading posts, belonging to various colonial empires, were established along the coast. The town of St. Louis became the capital of French West Africa (Afrique occidentale française, or AOF) before it was moved to Dakar in 1902. Dakar later became its capital in 1960 at the time of independence from France.

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Siguiri

Siguiri is a city in northeastern Guinea on the River Niger. It is a sub-prefecture and capital of Siguiri Prefecture in the Kankan Region. Its population was estimated at 28,319 in 2008.
It is known for its goldsmiths and as the birthplace of Sekouba Bambino Diabaté. It also has a former French fort, built in 1888, and an airport, Siguiri Airport.

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Sikasso
Sikasso is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Region. Sikasso is Mali's second-largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census.
Located 375 kilometres (233 mi) southeast of Bamako, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Côte d'Ivoire, and 45 kilometres (28 mi) west of Burkina Faso, Sikasso acts as a crossroads between the coastal countries (Togo, Bénin, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire) and the landlocked Mali and Burkina Faso. Sikasso's ethnic groups include the Bamana, the Senufo (mainly the Supyire), the Bobo (or Bobo Fing, lit. 'black Bobo'), and the Minianka (Mamara Senufo).
Sikasso has abundant agriculture. Sikasso's fruit and vegetable production guarantees the city's self-sufficiency, sparing it from reliance on international food aid.
Sikasso was founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Mansa Douala. The town was a small village until 1876 when Tieba Traoré, whose mother came from Sikasso, became King of the Kénédougou Empire and moved its capital there. He established his palace on the sacred Mamelon hill (now home to a water tower) and constructed a tata or fortifying wall to defend against the attacks of both the Dyula conqueror Samori Ture and the French colonial army. The city withstood a long siege from 1887 to 1888 but fell to the French in 1898; rather than surrender to the colonial army, Tieba's brother Babemba Traoré, who had succeeded him as king, committed suicide, honoring the famous Bamanankan saying "Saya ka fisa ni maloya ye" (literally: death is preferable to shame).

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Sikasso Cercle
Sikasso Cercle is one of seven administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The capital is the town of Sikasso.
The cercle is divided into the urban commune of Sikasso and 42 rural communes:
Coordinates: 11°30′N 5°55′W / 11.5°N 5.917°W / 11.5; -5.917

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Sikasso Region
Sikasso Region is the southern-most region of Mali. The region's capital city, Sikasso, is the country's second-largest city and is growing rapidly due to people fleeing the violence in Côte d'Ivoire to the south. Major ethnic groups include the Senoufo, known for masks and reverence for animals, the Samago, known for being Mali's best farmers, and the main ethnic group in Mali, the Bambara people. The local economy is based on farming and the Sikasso, which receives more rain than any other Malian region, is known for its fruits and vegetables.
Sikasso Region is divided into seven cercles:
The city of Sikasso is known for a vibrant outdoor market which features fabrics, numerous vegetables and fruits (especially mangoes, for which Sikasso is particularly renowned.) Sikasso is an ethnic and linguistic melting pot featuring people from outlying villages, immigrants from Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and refugees.
The southwest corner of the Sikasso region is traditionally known as Wassoulou. This area is known for its unique music and strong tradition of hunting. The main city of Wassoulou is Yanfolila.

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Sokoto River
The Sokoto River (formerly known as Gublin Kebbi) is a river in north-west Nigeria and a tributary of the River Niger. The river's source is near Funtua in the south of Katsina State, some 275 km in straight line from Sokoto. It flows north-west passing Gusau in Zamfara State, where the Gusau Dam forms a reservoir that supplies the city with water. Further downstream the river enters Sokoto State where it passes by Sokoto and is joined by the Rima River, then turning south and flowing through Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State. About 120 kilometers south of Birnin Kebbi, it reaches its confluence with the Niger River.
The plains around the river are widely cultivated and the river used as a source of irrigation. The river is also an important means of transport. The Bakolori Dam, about 100 km upstream from Sokoto, is a major reservoir on the Sokoto River. It has had significant impact on downstream floodplain cultivation.
Coordinates: 11°24′11″N 4°07′15″E / 11.40306°N 4.12083°E / 11.40306; 4.12083

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Soła
The Soła is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula.
Soła originates in the Western Beskids mountain range near the border with Slovakia. It is made up of the confluence of several small creeks at the village of Rajcza. It runs downhill northeastwards to the towns of Żywiec and Kęty, forming the border between the Silesian and the Żywiec Beskids. After 89 km (55 mi) the Soła empties into to the Vistula River after having passed the town of Oświęcim.
The river flows within metres of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum informs that the human ashes and ground bones of those murdered there were sometimes dumped into the river.
Soła flows through or near the following settlements: Rajcza, Milówka, Cisiec, Węgierska Górka, Cięcina, Radziechowy, Wieprz, Żywiec, Tresna, Czernichów, Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, Międzybrodzie Bialskie, Porąbka, Czaniec, Kobiernice, Kęty, Nowa Wieś^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Hecznarowice, Bielany, Łęki^{[disambiguation needed ]}, and Oświęcim.

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São Paulo
São Paulo (/ˌsaʊ ˈpaʊloʊ/; Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu] ( listen); Saint Paul;), popularly known as Sampa, is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and Americas, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the five largest metropolitan areas on the planet. São Paulo is the capital of the state of São Paulo, which is the most populous Brazilian state, and exerts strong regional influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment. São Paulo maintains strong international influence and is considered an Alpha- World City. The name of the city honors Saint Paul.
The metropolis has significant cultural, economic and political influence both nationally and internationally. It houses several important monuments, parks and museums such as the Latin American Memorial, the Museum of the Portuguese Language, São Paulo Museum of Art and the Ibirapuera Park. The Paulista Avenue is the most important financial center of São Paulo. The city holds many high profile events, like the São Paulo Art Biennial, the Brazil Grand Prix Formula 1 Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo Fashion Week, ATP Brasil Open, and the São Paulo Indy 300.

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São Tomé
São Tomé (population 56,166 in 2005) is the capital city of São Tomé and Príncipe and is by far that nation's largest town. Its name is Portuguese for "Saint Thomas".
São Tomé was founded by Portugal in 1485. The Portuguese came to São Tomé in search of land to grow sugar. The island was uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime around 1470. São Tomé was right on the equator and wet enough to grow sugar in wild abundance. Its proximity to the African Kingdom of Kongo provided an eventual source of slave laborers to work the sugar plantations. São Tomé is centred on a sixteenth century cathedral. Another early building is Fort São Sebastião, built in 1575 and now the São Tomé National Museum. In 1599, the city as well as the islands were taken by the Dutch for two days and again in 1641 for a year. It was the capital of the Portugues colony of São Tomé and Príncipe and, since São Tomé and Príncipe's independence in 1975, capital of the sovereign nation.
São Tomé is located at 0°20′10″N 6°40′53″E / 0.33611°N 6.68139°E / 0.33611; 6.68139Coordinates: 0°20′10″N 6°40′53″E / 0.33611°N 6.68139°E / 0.33611; 6.68139. [1]

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Ségou
Ségou (Seku, Segu) is a city in south-central Mali, lying 235 kilometres (146 mi) northeast of Bamako on the River Niger, in the region of Ségou. It was founded by the Bozo people, on a site about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the present town. With 130,690 inhabitants in 2009, it is the fifth-largest city in Mali.
Capital of the Bambara Empire in the past, Ségou is now the capital of Mali’s fourth largest administrative region of Ségou. It is known also as the city of “Balanzan,” named after the local tree Acacia albida. Ségou has faced numerous conquests and changes of administration, but has always benefited from trade with nearby commercial centres such as Djenné and Timbuktu, and been an administrative center and commercial center for cereal and cattle.
The city prospered after Biton Mamary Coulibaly became king in 1712 and founded the Ségou (or Bamana) Empire. Mungo Park became the first European known to have visited this city in 1796. The empire gradually declined and was conquered by El Hadj Umar Tall's Toucouleur Empire in 1861 (see battle of Ségou), then by the French Army Colonel Louis Archinard in 1892.

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Ségou Cercle
Ségou Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Ségou.
The cercle is divided into 30 communes:
Coordinates: 13°35′N 6°15′W / 13.583°N 6.25°W / 13.583; -6.25

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Ségou Region
Ségou Region is an administrative region in Mali, situated in the centre of the countrywith an area of 64,821 km² (around 5% of Mali). The region is bordered by Sikasso Region on the south, Tombouctou and Mopti on the east, Burkina Faso to the southeast and the Koulikoro Region to the west. In 2009 it had 2,336,255 inhabitants, making it the second most populous region of Mali. Its administrative capital is the town of Ségou.
The Ségou Region is characterized by a semi-arid climate (average yearly rainfall: 513 mm) and irrigated by two important waterways: the Niger and the Bani River, allowing allow irrigation for agriculture. Ségou has two seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season starts in June and lasts about four months until September. On the other hand, the dry season includes a cold period and a period of heat. The average yearly rainfall is about 513 mm. The harmattan is the dominant wind in the dry season and it blows from north to south. The monsoon blowing from south to north-west is more frequent during rainy season (hivernage).

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Tembakounda
Tembakounda is the location of the source of the Niger River, West Africa's longest river, which eventually empties at the Niger Delta into the Gulf of Guinea 4,180 km (2,600 mi) distant. Tembakounda is in the Djallon Mountains, low mountains rising above the plateau area of the Guinean highlands known as Fouta Djallon.
Coordinates: 09°39′N 10°52′W / 9.65°N 10.867°W / 9.65; -10.867

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Tessalit Cercle
Tessalit Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative centre is the village of Tessalit. The Cercle is divided into Communes, and below this, quarters/villages. As of 2009 the cercle had a population of 16,289.
The Tessalit Cercle contains the following Rural Communes:
Coordinates: 20°00′N 0°10′E / 20°N 0.167°E / 20; 0.167

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Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( /ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː/; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; French: Tombouctou), formerly also spelled Timbuctoo and Timbuktoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. It had a population of 54,453 in the 2009 census.
Starting out as a seasonal settlement, Timbuktu became a permanent settlement early in the 12th century. After a shift in trading routes, Timbuktu flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves, and it became part of the Mali Empire early in the 13th century. In the first half of the 15th century the Tuareg tribes took control of the city for a short period until the expanding Songhay Empire absorbed the city in 1468. A Moroccan army defeated the Songhay in 1591, and made Timbuktu, rather than Gao, their stronghold. The invaders established a new ruling class, the arma, who after 1612 became independent of Morocco. However, the golden age of the city was over and it entered a long period of decline. Different tribes governed until the French took over in 1893, a situation that lasted until it became part of the current Republic of Mali in 1960. Presently Timbuktu is impoverished and suffers from desertification. Several initiatives are being undertaken to restore the historic manuscripts still kept in the city. Meanwhile, tourism forms an important source of income.

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Timbuktu Cercle
Timbuktu Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region of Mali. It is the largest cercle by area in the whole of Mali. The capital lies at the city of Timbuktu. The cercle is divided into Rural and Urban Communes, and below this, quarters/villages. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 124,546.
Timbuktu Cercle contains the following six communes:
Coordinates: 20°50′N 3°20′W / 20.833°N 3.333°W / 20.833; -3.333

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Tinkisso River
The Tinkisso River is a river in Guinea in west Africa. The river is sourced near Dabola in the Fouta Djallon mountain range, north of Mamou and snakes approximately north-east and then east across the plains of Guinea, until it runs into the River Niger at Siguiri. The river is approximately 250 miles in length.
The river and the surrounding plains were designated a Ramsar site by the Niger Basin Authority and the Guinean government in 2002. The river and its tributaries are the home to species of manatee.
Coordinates: 11°21′16″N 9°09′49″W / 11.35444°N 9.16361°W / 11.35444; -9.16361

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Tombouctou Region
Tombouctou Region is one of the administrative regions of Mali. It is specifically in Azawad, the north-eastern part of the country which declared independence in April 2012 but remains unrecognised by any other state. It is the largest of Mali's eight regions and includes a large section of the Sahara desert. For administrative purposes, the region is subdivided into five cercles.
Tombouctou region is world-famous for its capital, the ancient city Timbuktu (or as known in French, Tombouctou), synonymous to 19th century Europeans as an elusive, hard-to-reach destination. The city gained world fame in 1390 when its ruler, Mansa Musa, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stopping with his entourage in Egypt and dispensing enough gold to devalue the Egyptian currency. This started the legend of a city in the interior of Africa, where roads were said to be paved with gold and buildings topped with roofs of gold.
The city is located at the southern edge of the Sahara, near the Niger River, which has headwaters in the highlands very near the Atlantic coast before its long 1500 mile journey to the northeast, before finally turning south to reach the Atlantic. The riches of the kingdom were due to Tombouctou's position as the southern terminus of the trans-Saharan trade in salt, gold and slaves.

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Tominian Cercle
Tominian Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali. The administrative center of the local government is in the town of Tominian. The Cercle is divided into Communes, and below this, quarters/villages. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 219,853 people.
The Cercle of Tominian contains the communes of Benena, Diora, Fangasso, Koula, Lanfiala, Mandiakuy, Mafouné, Ouan, Sanekuy, Timissa, Tominian and Yasso,
Coordinates: 13°15′N 4°25′W / 13.25°N 4.417°W / 13.25; -4.417

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Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (Arabic: طرابلس الغرب‎ Ṭarābulus al-Gharb), to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean (Arabic: عروسة البحر‎ ʼarūsat el-baḥr; lit: "bride of the sea"), describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli (English pronunciation: /ˈtrɪpɵli/) is a Greek name that means "Three Cities", introduced in Western European languages through the Italian Tripoli. In Arabic: طرابلس‎ it is called Ṭarābulus ( pronunciation (help·info), Libyan Arabic: Ṭrābləs pronunciation (help·info), Berber: Ṭrables, from Ancient Greek: Τρίπολις Trípolis). As of 2011, the Tripoli metropolitan area (district area) had a population of 2.2 million. The city is located in the northwest part of the country on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean and forming a bay.
The city includes the Port of Tripoli and the country's largest commercial and manufacturing centre. It is also the site of the University of Tripoli. The vast Bab al-Azizia barracks, which includes the former family compound of Muammar Gaddafi, is also located in the city; Gaddafi largely ruled the country from his residence in this barracks.

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Tunis
Tunis (Arabic: تونس‎ Tūnis) is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants.
Situated on a large Mediterranean Sea gulf (the Gulf of Tunis), behind the Lake of Tunis and the port of La Goulette (Halq al Wadi), the city extends along the coastal plain and the hills that surround it. At the centre of more modern development (from the colonial era and later) lies the old medina. Beyond this district lie the suburbs of Carthage, La Marsa, and Sidi Bou Said.
The medina is found at the centre of the city: a dense agglomeration of alleys and covered passages, full of intense scents and colours, boisterous and active trade, and a surfeit of goods on offer ranging from leather to plastic, tin to the finest filigree, tourist souvenirs to the works of tiny crafts shops.
Just through the Sea Gate (also known as the Bab el Bahr and the Porte de France) begins the modern city, or Ville Nouvelle, transversed by the grand Avenue Habib Bourguiba (often referred to by popular press and travel guides as "the Tunisian Champs-Élysées"), where the colonial-era buildings provide a clear contrast to smaller, older structures. As the capital city of the country, Tunis is the focus of Tunisian political and administrative life; it is also the centre of the country's commercial activity. The expansion of the Tunisian economy in recent decades is reflected in the booming development of the outer city where one can see clearly the social challenges brought about by rapid modernization in Tunisia.

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Ukraine
Ukraine (ⁱ/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]; Russian: Украина; Crimean Tatar: Ukraina) is a country in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after the Russian Federation.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages until it disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. A chaotic period of incessant warfare ensued, with several internationally recognized attempts at independence from 1917 to 1921, following World War I and the Russian Civil War. Ukraine emerged from its own civil war, and on December 30, 1922 Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian SSR's territory was enlarged westward during the civil war shortly before, and after World War II, and further south in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.

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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.

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Windhoek
Windhoek ( /ˈvɪnt.hʊk/ VINT-huuk; German: Windhuk (help·info)) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level. The population of Windhoek in 2011 was 322,500 and grows continually due to an influx from all over Namibia.
The town developed at the site of a permanent spring known to the indigenous pastoral communities. It developed rapidly after Jonker Afrikaner, Captain of the Orlam settled here in 1840 and built a stone church for his community. However, in the decades thereafter multiple wars and hostilities led to the neglect and destruction of the new settlement such that Windhoek was founded a second time in 1890 by Imperial German army Major Curt von François.
Windhoek is the social, economic, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered here.
The City of Windhoek is traditionally known by two names: ǀAiǁGams, (Khoekhoe: hot springs) and Otjomuise (Otjiherero: place of steam). Both traditional names reference the hot springs near today's city centre.

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Yamoussoukro
The District of Yamoussoukro /ˌjɑːməˈsuːkroʊ/ is the official political capital and administrative capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, while the economic capital of the country is Abidjan. As of 2010, it was estimated to have 242,744 inhabitants. Located 240 kilometres (150 mi) north-west of Abidjan, the administrative center on the coast, upon rolling hills and plains, the municipality covers 3,500 square kilometres (1,400 sq mi) and is coterminous with the department of the same name. The department and municipality are split into four sub-prefectures: Attiégouakro, Didiévi, Tié-diékro and the Commune of Yamoussoukro. In total, the district contains 169 settlements.
In 1998, the city had about 155,803 inhabitants. It is the fourth most populous city in Côte d'Ivoire, after Abidjan, Bouaké, and Daloa.
The current governor of the district is N'Dri Koffi Apollinaire.
Yamoussoukro is pronounced "Yam-So-Kro" by Ivorians. It's possible to hear "Ya-Mu-So-Kro"; the second "U" is silent.^{[citation needed]}

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Yanfolila Cercle
Yanfolila Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Yanfolila.
The cercle is divided into 12 communes:
Coordinates: 10°55′N 8°05′W / 10.917°N 8.083°W / 10.917; -8.083

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Yaoundé
Yaoundé ( /ˌjɑːuːnˈdeɪ/ or /jaːˈʊndeɪ/, French pronunciation: [ja.un.de]) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of approximately 2.5 million, the second largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the center of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level.
Yaoundé was founded in 1888 by German traders as a base for the ivory trade and as an agricultural research station. It was occupied by Belgian troops during World War I. After Germany's defeat, France became the colonial power in eastern Cameroon. Yaoundé consequently became the capital of French Cameroon, and continued as the capital of the Republic of Cameroon at independence.
Major industries in Yaoundé include tobacco, dairy products, breweries, clay, glass goods, and lumber. It is also a regional distribution center for coffee, cocoa, copra, sugar cane, and rubber.
The city centre houses government offices, some hotels, and the central market. The Bastos neighbourhood, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European community (drawn mainly from the diplomatic corps). The presidential palace and compound is in the Etoudi neighborhood.

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Yorosso Cercle
Yorosso Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The main town (chef-lieu) is Yorosso.
The cercle is divided into nine rural communes:
Coordinates: 12°20′N 4°45′W / 12.333°N 4.75°W / 12.333; -4.75

wn.com/Yorosso_Cercle
Youwarou Cercle
Youwarou Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Youwarou.
The cercle is divided into seven communes:
Coordinates: 15°25′N 4°30′W / 15.417°N 4.5°W / 15.417; -4.5

wn.com/Youwarou_Cercle
Yélimané Cercle
Yélimané Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. Its administrative centre (chef-lieu) is the town of Yélimané. In the 2009 census the population of the cercle was 178,442.
Yélimané Cercle is a major center of gold mining.
The cercle is subdivided into 12 communes:
Coordinates: 15°05′N 10°35′W / 15.083°N 10.583°W / 15.083; -10.583

wn.com/Yélimané_Cercle

Abderrahmane Sissako
Abderrahmane Sissako (born October 13, 1961 in Kiffa, Mauritania) is an award-winning film director and producer who has often worked in Mali and France. Sissako is, along with Ousmane Sembène, Souleymane Cissé, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Djibril Diop Mambety, one of the few filmmakers from Sub-Saharan Africa to reach a measure of international influence. His film Waiting for Happiness (Heremakono) was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard, winning the FIPRESCI Prize. His 2007 film Bamako received much attention. Sissako's themes include globalisation, exile and the displacement of people.
Soon after his birth Sissako's family emigrated to Mali, his father's country, where he completed part of his primary and secondary education. Sissako returned briefly to Mauritania, his mother's land, in 1980. Then he left for Moscow, where he studied cinema at the VGIK (Federal State Film Institute) from 1983 to 1989. Sissako settled in France at the beginning of the 1990s. In addition to feature films and short films, Sissako has served on the jury of the Premiers Plans festival in Angers in January 2007, and on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival later in the same year.

wn.com/Abderrahmane_Sissako
Adama Coulibaly
Adama Coulibaly (born 10 September 1980) is a Malian football (soccer) defender. He was born in Bamako, Mali, and began his career in his local club, Djoliba AC. Coulibaly recently transferred to AJ Auxerre after spending a decade with his former club RC Lens. The transfer fee was priced at 2 million euros. He has played international matches for Mali along with his cousin Moussa Coulibaly.

wn.com/Adama_Coulibaly
Adama Drabo
Adama Drabo (1948 in Bamako, Mali- July 16, 2009) was a Malian filmmaker and playwright.
Adama Drabo showed an interest in film since his childhood in the Malian capital of Bamako. His career in film began as a hobby - for ten years, he was a schoolteacher in a Malian village, and in his spare time he painted and wrote plays.
In 1979, he joined the Centre national de production cinématographique (CNPC). There, he worked with director Cheick Oumar Sissoko as an assistant director on the 1986 film Nyamanton and the 1989 film Finzan.
In 1988, he produced a short film, Nieba, la journée d'une paysanne.
In 1991, he produced his first full-length film, Ta Dona (Au feu!), which was nominated for the Gold Lion prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, and featured at FESPACO. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.
In 1997, he produced Taafé Fanga, which tells the story of a Dogon woman who finds a magical mask and uses its powers to reverse gender roles in her village. This film was featured in film festivals worldwide, including at Cannes, Tokyo, Namur, and Ouagadougou. He died in Algeria from cardiac arrest during the "Festival culturel panafricain d’Alger".

wn.com/Adama_Drabo
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese’s often quoted characterization of Touré’s tradition as constituting "the DNA of the blues". Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
He was born in 1939 in the village of Kanau, on the banks of the Niger River in the cercle of Gourma Rharous in the northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou. His family moved to the nearby village of Niafunké when he was still an infant. He was the tenth son of his mother but the only one to survive past infancy. “The name I was given was Ali Ibrahim, but it’s a custom in Africa to give a child a strange nickname if you have had other children who have died”, Touré was quoted as saying in a biography on his Record Label, World Circuit Records. His nickname, “Farka”, chosen by his parents, means “donkey”, an animal admired for its tenacity and stubbornness: “Let me make one thing clear. I’m the donkey that nobody climbs on!” Ethnically, he was part Songrai part Fula.

wn.com/Ali_Farka_Touré
Alpha Oumar Konaré
Alpha Oumar Konaré (born 2 February 1946) was the President of Mali for two five-year terms (1992 to 2002), and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 to 2008.
Alpha Oumar Konaré fourth son of a Bambara teacher and a Fula homemaker was born in Kayes, Mali, where he went to primary school. He went on to attend Bamako's Lycée Terrasson des Fougères, the Collège de Maristes of Dakar, Senegal, the Collège Moderne of Kayes and, between 1962 and 1964, the École Normale Secondaire of Katibougou. He completed his advanced studies in history at the École Normale Supérieure in Bamako (1965–1969) and at the University of Warsaw between 1971 and 1975.
He began his professional career as a tutor in Kayes, then a lycée teacher at Markala and Bamako. In 1974, he did research at the Institut des Sciences Humaines du Mali, then, from 1975 to 1978, acted as head of historic patrimony and ethnography at the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture. In 1980, he was named researcher at the Institut Supérieur de Formation en Recherche Appliquée (I.S.F.R.A), and Professor at the History/Geography department at the École Normale Supérieure of Bamako. In the course of his career, he headed several professional organizations, including the Association of Historians and Geographers of Mali, the West African Association of Archaeologists, and the Union of West African Researchers. Between 1981 and 1992, Konaré served as a consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Between 1989 and 1992 he was president of ICOM (International Council of Museums; http://icom.museum/founders.html#presidents ).

wn.com/Alpha_Oumar_Konaré
Amadou Konte
Amadou Konte (born 13 January 1981 in Bamako) is a Malian-French footballer currently contracted with Bitonto.
Konte started his career in the football academy of French side RC Strasbourg before moving to Portuguese giants FC Porto. He did not make a first team breakthrough in FC Porto though, and moved again, firstly to CF Villanovense in Spain,^{[citation needed]} then Olympique Noisy-le-Sec in CFA and Paternò in Serie C1.
In the summer of 2004 Konte signed for Cambridge United and scored 3 goals in 9 appearances. This was enough to prompt interest from Hibernian, who signed him during the January 2005 transfer window, and he made his debut in a 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox the next month. His first goal was a late equaliser against Motherwell in March, earning Hibs a crucial point in their successful quest to qualify for European competition.
The 2005–06 season was less rewarding for Konte though, as he endured inconsistent form, infrequent appearances and a lack of goals. This led to him being ironically dubbed the "Mali Magician" by some Hibs fans. When Konte again struggled to gain first team action in the first part of the 2006–07 season he was released from his contract.

wn.com/Amadou_Konte
Amadou Sidibé
Amadou Sidibé (born 19 February 1986) is a Malian football (soccer) defender. He was born in Bamako, Mali, and began his career in his local club, Cercle Olympique de Bamako, recently transferred to AJ Auxerre from Djoliba Athletic Club.
He played with Cercle Olympique de Bamako at Tournoi de l'UEMOA 2007.

wn.com/Amadou_Sidibé
Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré (born 4 November 1948) is a Malian politician who was President of Mali from 2002 to 2012. He overthrew President Moussa Traoré in a March 1991 military coup and presided over a year-long transition to multiparty elections; he handed power to civilian authorities in June 1992. Ten years later, after retiring from the army, he entered politics as a civilian and won the 2002 presidential election with a broad coalition of support. He was easily re-elected in 2007 to a second and final term. On 22 March 2012, one month prior to his scheduled departure from office, disgruntled members of the Malian military initiated a coup d'état that forced him into hiding. As part of the agreement to restore constitutional order to Mali, Touré resigned from the presidency on 8 April.
Amadou Toumani Touré was born on 4 November 1948, in Mopti, where he attended primary school. Between 1966 and 1969, he attended Badalabougou Standard Secondary School in Bamako in order to become a teacher. Eventually, he joined the army and attended the Kati Inter-Military College. As a member of the Parachute Corps, he rose quickly through the ranks and after numerous training courses in the Soviet Union and France, he became the commander of the parachute commandos in 1984.

wn.com/Amadou_Toumani_Touré
Amara Morikè Kallé
Amara Dit Morikè Kallé (born 19 September 1990 in Bamako) is a Malian football (soccer) defender, who plays for AJ Auxerre.
Kallé began his career with AS Real Bamako and was in July 2008 transferred to AJ Auxerre.
He earned his first full senior national cap for the Mali national football team in 2009 and was formerly member with the team at the Tournoi de l'UEMOA 2007.

wn.com/Amara_Morikè_Kallé
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible recordings in the 1990s including "Nick of Time", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up on You", and the slow ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me". Raitt has received nine Grammy Awards in her career and is a lifelong political activist.
Raitt, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt and his first wife, pianist Marjorie Haydock, began playing guitar at an early age, something few of her high school female friends did. Later she would become famous for her bottleneck-style guitar playing. "I had played a little at school and at camp", she later recalled in a July 2002 interview. The camp Raitt refers to is Camp Regis-Applejack, located in the heart of the Adirondacks.

wn.com/Bonnie_Raitt
Drissa Diarra
Drissa Diarra (born 7 July 1985 in Bamako) is a Malian football player. He currently plays as a defender for Bellinzona, on loan from Lecce.
He played for the Mali national football team at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship and the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship.

wn.com/Drissa_Diarra
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe (Fula: Fulɓe; French: Peul; Hausa: Fulan; Portuguese: Fula; Wolof: Pël; Bambara: Fulaw) are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa. African countries where they are present include Mauritania, Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Chad, Togo, the Central African Republic, Liberia, and as far as Sudan and Egypt in the East. Fula people form a minority in every country they inhabit, but in Guinea they represent a plurality of the population (40%).
There are also many names (and spellings of the names) used in other languages to refer to the Fulɓe. Fulani in English is borrowed from the Hausa term, and it is also used by the Manding peoples, being the diminutive form of the word "Fula" in their language, essentially meaning "little Fula". Fula, from Manding languages, is also used in English, and sometimes spelled Fulah or Foulah. Fula and Fulani are commonly used in English, including within Africa. The French borrowed the Wolof term Pël, which is variously spelled: Peul, Peulh, and even Peuhl. More recently the Fulfulde / Pulaar term Fulɓe, which is a plural noun (singular, Pullo) has been Anglicised as Fulbe, which some people use. In Portuguese, the terms Fula or Futafula are used.

wn.com/Fula_people
Hamchétou Maïga
Hamchétou Maïga-Ba (born 25 April 1978 in Bamako) is a Malian professional women's basketball player most recently with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. She is also a member of the Mali women's national basketball team.
Maïga was an All-American player her senior year at Old Dominion University, as well as a three time All-Colonial Athletic Association team member. Senior year, she led the team in scoring (13.7 ppg).
Drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Maïga did not start a full season for a WNBA squad until the 2007 season. Starting all 34 games for Houston, Maïga averaged 9.1 points per game, along with 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. she was # 25
During the 2008–09 WNBA offseason, she was playing in the Czech Republic with Brno. During the 2009–2010 offseason, she is playing in France with Tarbes GB.
Maïga was the captain of the Mali squad which won the FIBA Africa Championship for Women 2007. By winning the tournament, Mali qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Maïga was the M.V.P. of the tournament.

wn.com/Hamchétou_Maïga
Ibrahim Kante
Ibrahim Kante (born July 20, 1981 in Bamako) is a Malian soccer player, currently a member of the Omaha Vipers, a MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) team.
Kante made two appearances as a rookie in 2003 with New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, before moving on to Milwaukee Wave United of the USL A-League in 2004.
He played several seasons of indoor soccer with Baltimore Blast, the Kansas City Comets and the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League before signing with Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division in 2007. He scored Baltimore's first ever professional goal, a thunderbolt free kick from the edge of the box in a pre-season friendly.
Kante signed to play with Cleveland City Stars in their inaugural season in the USL First Division on April 20, 2009.
2010-2011 saw him battle through an injury-plagued season with the Omaha Vipers, only starting ten games. Fully recovered, he signed with the Missouri Comets and is excited to take the Comets to the next level in 2011-2012

wn.com/Ibrahim_Kante
Idrissa Coulibaly
Idrissa Coulibaly (born December 19, 1987 in Bamako, Mali) is a Malian football player. He currently plays as a defender for Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
Coulibaly began his career at the age of 10 in the junior ranks of Centre Salif Keita. In 2006, while many of his teammates were promoted to the first team, Coulibaly was not offered the chance. He decided to quit the club and began training with another local club. However, after 15 days, Centre Salif Keita convinced him to return and he was promoted shortly after that to the first team.
In winter of 2008, Coulibaly received offers from two local clubs, Djoliba AC and Real Bamako, as well as from Algerian club JS Kabylie. French club FC Nantes also wanted to take the player on trial.
On January 7, 2008, it was announced that Coulibaly would join JS Kabylie on a 3-year contract. In his first season with the club, Coulibaly helped the club win the Algerian Championnat National.
On December 14, 2010, Coulibaly was chosen as the Best Foreign Player in the Algerian league in 2010.

wn.com/Idrissa_Coulibaly
Jean Tigana
Jean Amadou Tigana (born 23 June 1955 in Bamako, Mali, previously named French Sudan) is a former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s. He most recently coached Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua.
Tigana started his professional career as a player at Toulon, having been spotted fairly late playing part-time while employed in a spaghetti factory and then as a postman. He moved to Lyon in 1978 and then to Bordeaux in a $4million transfer. He was part of the French national football team that won the European Championship in 1984, defeating Spain in the final. In Bordeaux's midfield for eight years, Tigana helped them to three league titles and three French cups, as well as taking them close to European glory on two occasions, losing in the semi-final of the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 and 1987 respectively.

wn.com/Jean_Tigana
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was a highly influential American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally a unique brand of country blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark. Though similar to the early Delta blues, his music was metrically free. John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his blues guitar playing and singing. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen'" (1948), "I'm in the Mood" (1951) and "Boom Boom" (1962), the first two reaching R&B #1 in the Billboard charts.
There is some debate as to the year of Hooker's birth in Coahoma County, Mississippi, the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871–1923), a sharecropper and Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (born 1875, date of death unknown); according to his official website, he was born on August 22, 1917.

wn.com/John_Lee_Hooker
Lamine Diawara
Lamine Diawara (born 1971 in Bamako) is a Malian basketball player with Al Ittihad Aleppo in Syria. A member of the Mali national basketball team, Diawara was both the import player of the year and player of the year in 2005-06 in Syria. Prior to playing in Syria, Diawara played with Anibal Zahle in the Lebanese Basketball League. He stands 6'10 (206 cm) and is the brother of USO Mondeville Basket's Nare Diawara and Diéné Diawara.

wn.com/Lamine_Diawara
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981 in Bamako) is a Malian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Fulham and the Mali national team, for whom he is captain.
Diarra started his career with Greek side OFI Crete. He played for French club Lyon from 2002 until 2006 and formed a successful midfield partnership with Michael Essien. He won four Ligue 1 titles during his time at Lyon, playing a key role in the teams success.
After Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello asked President Ramón Calderón to sign three players, "Diarra, Diarra and Diarra", Real Madrid joined Manchester United in the race to sign Mahamadou Diarra. Lyon said that Diarra could not leave and put a €40 million price tag on him, which matched the price Chelsea paid Lyon for Michael Essien in the summer of 2005. On 18 August 2006, Real Madrid agreed a fee of €26 million. On 22 August, Diarra was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabéu by Calderón and was assigned the number 6 shirt.
In 2006–07, Diarra was a staple player in Fabio Capello's two-defensive midfielder system. He played in 33 of Madrid's 38 matches, scoring three times. He lost his first team spot at one point after he and Antonio Cassano were caught on camera making fun of Capello during a training session. On 18 June 2007, with Real Madrid needing to win against Real Mallorca to win the league title for the first time since 2003, Diarra scored an 81st minute header to give Madrid a 2–1 lead. In the 84th minute, José Antonio Reyes scored a third goal to ensure Real Madrid were champions.

wn.com/Mahamadou_Diarra
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961), is a French singer of Spanish roots (Basque and Galician). He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, which combined a variety of languages and musical styles. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in Europe. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995, and since then tours regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba.
Chao was born to Spanish parents. His mother, Felisa Ortega, is from Bilbao, Basque country and his father, writer and journalist Ramón Chao, is from Vilalba, Galicia. They emigrated to Paris to avoid Francisco Franco's dictatorship—Manu's grandfather had been sentenced to death. Shortly after Manu's birth, the Chao family moved to the outskirts of Paris, and Manu spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres. As he grew up he was surrounded by many artists and intellectuals, most of whom were acquaintances of his father. Chao cites much of his childhood experience as inspiration for some songs.

wn.com/Manu_Chao
Massa Makan Diabaté
Massa Makan Diabaté (1938 - January 27, 1988) was a Malian historian, author, and playwright.
Born in 1938 in Kita, Massa Makan Diabaté was the descendant of a long line of West African poets (griots). His uncle, Kélé Monson Diabaté, was considered a master griot, and Massa Makan Diabaté has said that he owes much to his uncle's teaching: "I am what Kèlè Monson wanted me to be when he initiated me into the Malinké oral tradition. And I’ll say that I betrayed him by writing novels. I’m the child of Kélé Monson, but a traitorous child." Diabaté began training as a griot at the age of 7, though his training would later be interrupted to allow him to study in Guinea. Diabaté eventually moved to Paris, where he studied history, sociology, and political science before working for a number of international organisations such as UNICEF or UNESCO.
Returning to Mali, Diabaté settled into an administrative post in Bamako. His early works Janjon et autres chants populaires du Mali (Janjon and other popular songs of Mali, 1970), Kala Jata (1970), and L'aigle et l'épervier ou la geste du Soundjata (The Eagle and the Sparrowhawk or the Gesture of Soundjata, 1975), were French-language versions of Malinké epics and folktales. In 1971, Janjon was awarded the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire, bringing Diabaté his first international recognition. His trilogy of novels Le lieutenant, Le coiffeur, and Le boucher de Kouta (The Lieutenant, The Barber, and The Butcher of Kouta, 1979–1982) won the 1987 Grand prix international de la Fondation Léopold Sédar Senghor.

wn.com/Massa_Makan_Diabaté
Meiya Tireira
Meiya Tireira (born 15 April 1986 in Bamako) is a Malian women's basketball player. A member of the Mali women's national basketball team, Tireira competed in all 5 of Mali's matches at the 2008 Summer Olympics, scoring a total of 16 points and grabbing 19 rebounds.

wn.com/Meiya_Tireira
Moké Diarra
Abdichi-Moké Diarra (born November 12, 1983 in Bamako) is a Malian footballer, who is currently playing for CS Duguwolofila.

wn.com/Moké_Diarra
Mountaga Tall
Mountaga Tall (born December 10, 1956) is a Malian politician. He is the President of the National Congress for Democratic Initiative (CNID) and a Deputy in the National Assembly of Mali; he has also served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament.
Tall was born in Ségou. A lawyer by profession, he founded CNID and ran as the party's candidate in the 1992 presidential election, when he placed third with 11.41% of the votes, after Alpha Oumar Konaré (ADEMA-PASJ) and Tiéoulé Konaté (US-RDA). He served as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1992 to 1997.
The CNID, along with other opposition parties, boycotted the presidential election held on May 11, 1997. On May 12, Tall said that Konaré, who had been re-elected, was not legitimately President; Tall's office was attacked with molotov cocktails and badly damaged on the same day. Tall and CNID participated in a boycott of the July 1997 parliamentary election. He was one of many opposition leaders who were arrested on August 9, 1997, in connection with the killing of a police officer at a rally on August 8; they were charged on August 14.

wn.com/Mountaga_Tall
Moussa Traoré
Moussa Traoré (born 25 September 1936) is a Malian soldier and politician. As a Lieutenant, he led the military ouster of President Modibo Keïta in 1968. Thereafter he served as Head of State (by various titles) from 1968–1979, and President of Mali from 1979 to 1991, when he was overthrown by popular protests and military coup. He was twice condemned to death in the 1990s, but eventually pardoned on both occasions and freed in 2002. He has since retired from political life.
Born in Kayes Region, he studied at Kita and at the military academy in Fréjus, France. He returned to Mali in 1960, after its 1959 independence. He became second lieutenant in 1961, and lieutenant in 1963. He went to Tanganyika (now Tanzania) as military instructor to its liberation movements. He then became instructor at the École militaire interarmes in Kati.
On 19 November 1968 he took part in the coup d'état which deposed President Modibo Keïta. He became president of the Comité militaire de libération nationale, which made him effective Head of State of the Republic of Mali. All political activity was banned. A police state was run by Captain Tiécoro Bagayoko. Informers monitored academics and teachers, mostly hostile to the military rule. The socialist economic policies of Modibo Keïta were partially dropped. In 1972-1973, a major drought hit Mali. International aid money was corruptly appropriated. In 1974, he issued a changed constitution for a Malian Second Republic, which was inaugurated in 1978, and was proported to move Mali toward civilian rule. However, the military leaders remained in power. In September 1976, a new political party was established, the Democratic Union of the Malian People (UDPM), based on the concept of non-ideological democratic centralism. Single- party presidential and legislative elections were held in June 1979. Traoré, the only candidate for president, was elected with 99 percent of the vote.

wn.com/Moussa_Traoré
Nare Diawara
Nare Diawara (born 22 January 1983 in Bamako) is a Malian professional women's basketball center with the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars. Diawara was drafted in the third round (30th overall) of the 2007 WNBA Draft. She played collegiately at Virginia Tech, US.

wn.com/Nare_Diawara
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All-Time". In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".
Plant was born in the Black Country town of West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire now in West Midlands) to parents Robert C. who worked as a civil engineer and Annie C. (Cain) Plant, but grew up in Kidderminster, in Worcestershire. Plant gained an interest in singing and rock and roll music at an early age.

wn.com/Robert_Plant
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.
His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and much else. He has collaborated with many musicians, including Larry Blackmon, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Randy Newman, Earl Hines, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart, The Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Pops and Mavis Staples, Flaco Jiménez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Freddy Fender, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Ali Farka Touré. He formed the band Little Village with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Ry Cooder produced the Buena Vista Social Club album (1997), which became a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed the documentary film of the same name (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.
He was ranked eighth on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". A 2010 ranking by Gibson placed him at number 32.

wn.com/Ry_Cooder
Salif Keita
Salif Keïta (born August 25, 1949) is an afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the "Golden Voice of Africa" but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. This royal heritage meant that under the Malian caste system, he should never have become a singer, which was deemed to be a griot’s role.
Keita was born in the village of Djoliba. He was cast out by his family and ostracized by the community because of his albinism, a sign of bad luck in Mandinka culture. He left Djoliba for Bamako in 1967, where he joined the government sponsored Super Rail Band de Bamako. In 1973 Keita joined the group, Les Ambassadeurs. Keita and Les Ambassadeurs fled political unrest in Mali during the mid-1970s for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and subsequently changed the group's name to "Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux". The reputation of Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux rose to the international level in the 1970s and in 1977. Keita received a National Order award from the president of Guinea, Sékou Touré.

wn.com/Salif_Keita
Sidi Touré
Sidi Touré (born 1959, Gao, Mali) is a singer/songwriter from Bamako, Mali. His music is a type of songhaï blues. He started his career in the Sonhaï Stars, a regional orchestra. In 1984 he won the award of best singer with a song of his own hand at a Mali National Bienale. He won the same prize again in 1986. In 1992 he collaborated with Kassemady Diabaté.
Outside Mali, Sidi Touré is mainly known for his appearance in Vincent Moon's Take-Away Show series of videos. Moon filmed the Malian musician on location in Mali.

wn.com/Sidi_Touré
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a state located in western Africa. From the early 15th to the late 16th century, Songhai was one of the largest Islamic empires in history. This empire bore the same name as its leading ethnic group, the Songhai. Its capital was the city of Gao, where a Songhai state had existed since the 11th century. Its base of power was on the bend of the Niger River in present day Niger and Burkina Faso.
The Songhai state has existed in one form or another for over a thousand years if one traces its rulers from the first settlement in Gao to its semi-vassal status under the Mali Empire through its continuation in Niger as the Dendi Kingdom.
The Songhai are thought to have settled at Gao as early as 800 CE, but did not establish it as the capital until the 11th century, during the reign of Dia Kossoi. However, the Dia dynasty soon gave way to the Sonni, proceeding the ascension of Sulaiman-Mar, who gained independence and hegemony over the city and was a forbear of Sonni Ali. Mar is often credited with wresting power away from the Mali Empire and gaining independence for the small Songhai kingdom at the time.

wn.com/Songhai_Empire
Théodore Monod
Théodore André Monod (Rouen, April 9, 1902 - Versailles, November 22, 2000) was a French naturalist, explorer, and humanist scholar.
Early in his career, Monod was made professor at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and founded the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire in Senegal. He became a member of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer in 1949, member of the Académie de Marine in 1957, and member of the Académie des Sciences in 1963. In 1960 he was one of the founders of the World Academy of Art and Science.
He began his career in Africa with the study of monk seals on Mauritania's Cap Blanc peninsula. However, he soon turned his attention to the Sahara desert, which he would survey for more than sixty years in search of meteorites. Though he failed to find the meteorite he sought, he discovered numerous plant species as well as several important Neolithic sites. Perhaps his most important find (together with Wladimir Besnard) was the Asselar man, a 6,000-year-old skeleton of the Adrar des Ifoghas that many scholars believe to be the first remains of a distinctly black person.

wn.com/Théodore_Monod
Tuareg people
The Tuareg (also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym Imuhagh) are a Berber people with a traditionally nomadic pastoralist lifestyle. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa.
The Tuareg language, or languages, have an estimated 1.2 million speakers. About half this number is accounted for by speakers of the Eastern dialect (Tamajaq, Tawallammat). Most Tuareg live in the Saharan parts of Niger and Mali but, being nomadic, there is constant movement across national borders, and small groups of Tuareg are also found in southeastern Algeria, southwestern Libya and northern Burkina Faso, and a small community in northern Nigeria.
The name Tuareg is derived from Targa, the Berber name of Libya's Fezzan province. The name Tuareg thus in origin designated the inhabitants of Fezzan from the perspective of the Berbers living closer to the Mediterranean coast, and was adopted from them into English, French and German during the colonial period. The Berber noun targa means "drainage channel" and by extension "arable land, garden". It designated the Wadi al-Haya area between Sabha and Ubari and is rendered in Arabic as bilad al-khayr "good land". There is a widespread Arabic folk etymology of the name, connecting tawariq "abandoned [by God]", reflecting the religious disapproval of residual animist practice among the Tuareg by orthodox Muslims.

wn.com/Tuareg_people
Yaya Dissa
Yaya Mamadou Dissa (born 18 September 1975) is a Malian international footballer who last played for Division d'Honneur side Niort Saint-Florent.
Born in Nioro, Dissa began playing youth football for local side AS Mandé. He played as a striker and joined the senior side of AS Commune IV, before moving to Djoliba Athletic Club in 1996. Dissa led Djoliba to the Malian league title in the 1996–97 season, and led the league in goals scored.
His strong performances in the Malian league led to a move to Saudi Premier League side Al-Shabab. At age 26, he moved to Greece where he would play in the Greek Superleague for Athinaikos F.C.,Kerkyra F.C. and Patraikos F.C.
Dissa signed a two-year contract with French Championnat National side Chamois Niortais F.C. in 2004.

wn.com/Yaya_Dissa

'Mali capital Bamako is France's main concern'

David Blair, The Telegraph's Chief Foreign Correspondent says it remains to be seen whethe...

published: 14 Jan 2013

author: telegraphtv

Al Jazeera reports from Bamako and Paris

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from Bamako while Jacky Rowland reports from Paris, ...

published: 14 Jan 2013

author: AlJazeeraEnglish

Bamako Hi-Res Trailer

The film everyone in France is talking about, coming to the UK in Feb 2007......

published: 22 Nov 2006

author: rossfitz

BAMAKO MALI 2012 (4)

The Republic of Mali West Africa. The Malian Capital. Republique Du Mali Afrique de L'Oues...

published: 26 Feb 2012

author: sangare13

Amadou et Mariam - Dimanche A Bamako

...

published: 25 Dec 2009

author: sharezaa

Inna Modja - Let's Go To Bamako

...

published: 13 Aug 2010

author: passinghorse

Naznine Moshiri reports from Bamako

As French troops enter their fourth day of military operation in Mali, and it says that it...

published: 14 Jan 2013

author: AlJazeeraEnglish

Brothers in Bamako @ Gaume Jazz 2012 - Habib Koité & Eric Bibb

Title: Touma Ni Kelen / Needed Time On the road between Memphis & Bamako with Eric Bibb & ...

published: 30 Aug 2012

author: sidi2716

11-train to bamako-Daniel Berkman

11-train to bamako-Daniel Berkman...

published: 03 Jan 2013

author: OnAirFMMusic

Hollande's Mali War: French troop build-up continues in capital Bamako as Islamists advance

French fighter planes with infantry soldiers and equipment have landed in the Malian capit...

published: 14 Jan 2013

author: JewishNewsOne

BAMAKO

BAMAKO is a poetic and moving film which brings sharply into relief the effects of globali...

published: 31 Jan 2007

author: Alibob23

Bamako Live - Brand New Track - Mali Music Unplugged

Sign the petition here: www.sahel2012.org Bamako. A brand new track recorded for Mali Musi...

published: 21 Jul 2012

author: OxfamGreatBritain

TN Al Jazeera reports from Bamako and Paris...

Al Jazeera reports from Bamako and Paris - YouTube ► 5:59► 5:59 www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU...

published: 15 Jan 2013

author: MrTrendingNews

TN Mali capital Bamako is Frances main concern...

'Mali capital Bamako is France's main concern' - YouTube ► 1:38► 1:38 www.youtube.com/watc...

published: 15 Jan 2013

author: MrTrendingNews

bamako

published: 02 Sep 2009

author: jehel

Bamako

Beelden uit het chaotische centrum van Bamako....

published: 28 Jul 2011

author: Jeroen van Rijn

Bamako

published: 16 Mar 2011

author: Bleuètè

Bamako

Mes pensées sur le film, Bamako....

published: 08 Apr 2010

author: Becky B

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photo: AP / Adj Nicolas-Nelson Richard, ECPAD

This Sunday Jan.13, 2013 photo provided by the French Army Monday Jan.14, 2013 shows a French Rafale jetfighter landing after a mission to Mali in N'Djamena, Chad.

France strikes Mali rebels

Independent online (SA)

14 Jan 2013

Bamako/Paris - French fighter jets pounded Islamist rebel strongholds deep in northern Mali on Sunday as Paris poured more troops into the capital, Bamako, awaiting a West African force to dislodge al-Qaeda-linked insurgents from the country’s north ... Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said France’s intervention on Friday prevented the advancing rebels from seizing Bamako and vowed air strikes would continue....(size: 6.6Kb)

photo: AP / Kevin Frayer

Indian Hindu holy men, or Naga Sadhus, run naked into the water at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, during the royal bath on Makar Sankranti at the start of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013.

Pilgrims Flock to India's Ganges for World's Biggest Festival

Jakarta Globe

14 Jan 2013

Allahabad. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims led by naked, ash-covered holy men streamed into the sacred river Ganges on Monday at the start of the world's biggest religious festival. The Kumbh Mela in the Indian town of Allahabad will see up to 100 million worshippers gather over the next 55 days to take a ritual bath in the holy waters, believed to cleanse sins and bestow blessings ... "I am ecstatic ... Agence France-Presse ....(size: 4.2Kb)

photo: WN / Jamal Penjweny

US military in side hummer on the Ramadia road and an the duty in Ramadia present

2012 military suicides hit a record high of 349

Ohio

15 Jan 2013

WASHINGTON. Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year. The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic ... Last year’s total is the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking suicides in 2001 ... ....(size: 5.0Kb)

photo: AP / Arshad Butt

Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit next to the bodies of their relatives awaiting burial, who were killed in Thursday's deadly bombings, during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013.

Pakistan's Deathly Nonviolent Protest

WorldNews.com

15 Jan 2013

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Desperate times call for desperate measures. In the case regarding Pakistani Shias, a minority population in Pakistan, some are refusing to bury their dead until the government deepens its commitment to protect them and the army provides better security. This comes on the heels of another suicide terrorist attack that killed 92 people and wounded more than 100 ... (1) Crilly, Rob ... ....(size: 4.0Kb)

photo: White House / Pete Souza

File - President Barack Obama talks with Chief of Staff Jack Lew and Rob Nabors, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, in the Oval Office, Nov. 28, 2012.

Obama On Debt Ceiling: 'We Are Not A Deadbeat Nation'

Huffington Post

14 Jan 2013

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama issued a strong warning to Republicans on Monday that he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling or allow Republicans to use it as a bargaining chip. "To even entertain the idea of the United States of America not paying our bills is irresponsible. It's absurd," Obama said in a press conference ... "They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the economy," Obama said ... Also on HuffPost ... ....(size: 10.3Kb)

timeline:
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Operation to end after Mali safe: Hollande Hollande in Abu Dhabi. (AP) Bamako/Dubai, Jan. 15 ...

The Telegraph India

16 Jan 2013

Bamako/Dubai, Jan. 15 (Reuters) ... ....(size: 0.3Kb)

France to stay in Mali until stability restored

China Daily

16 Jan 2013

BAMAKO/DUBAI - France pledged on Tuesday to keep troops in Mali until stability returned to the West African country, raising the spectre of a long campaign against al Qaida-linked rebels who held their ground despite a fifth day of air strikes ... A column of French armoured vehicles rolled northward from the dusty riverside capital of Bamako towards rebel lines on Tuesday, the first major northward deployment of ground troops....(size: 3.8Kb)

France to triple troops in Mali

Detroit news

16 Jan 2013

Bamako, Mali — France is tripling the number of troops deployed to Mali to 2,500, part of the massive preparation for a land assault to dislodge the Islamist extremists occupying the West African country's north ... Every few hours, enormous transport planes are landing at Bamako's airport, loaded with supplies and more soldiers....(size: 13.4Kb)

Mali conflict: French set for first ground combat

BBC News

16 Jan 2013

French troops are set for their first major ground combat with Islamist rebels in Mali after heading out from the capital, Bamako ... The BBC's Mark Doyle in Bamako says the convoy of armoured personnel carriers set out with guns at the ready; at some points along the road, people gathered to wave at the French soldiers ... Regional military commanders began a meeting in Bamako on Tuesday, agreeing the swift deployment of troops....(size: 7.4Kb)

Escaping conflict to bring talent to the world

Canberra Times

16 Jan 2013

Add a military coup that led to the closure of many music venues in the once happy-go-lucky capital, Bamako, and Traore has felt obliged to take her son and flee her homeland ... She blames the greed and corruption in Bamako for sowing the seeds of Islamic rebellion ... In Bamako, she was ostensibly just another barefoot child playing in the streets ... Her home in Bamako was a refuge....(size: 8.1Kb)

France to treble troop numbers in Mali to 2,500

Irish Times

16 Jan 2013

to stop the rebel advances, to secure the capital, Bamako, and to help the Mali government regain control of the whole country ... The French acted in response to a call from Mali’s president after Islamist rebels captured a strategic town that opened up a route to the capital, Bamako ... West African defence chiefs met in Bamako yesterday to approve ......(size: 3.2Kb)

France boosts military presence in Mali

The Los Angeles Times

16 Jan 2013

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — France boosted its troops in Mali on Tuesday as armored vehicles arrived in the capital, Bamako, as part of a planned 2,500-strong deployment to battle Al Qaeda-linked militants ... Defense chiefs representing the regional Economic Community of West African States met in Bamako to discuss plans to send in a 3,300-troop regional force, about 900 of whom are to come from Nigeria....(size: 32.0Kb)

French operation fraught with uncertainty

Irish Times

16 Jan 2013

an Islamist takeover of Bamako, the capital ... The scale of the task France faces was underlined on Monday, when, as its planes were pounding targets in the centre and far-north of Mali, a rebel convoy of 70 pick-up trucks swept into the western town of Diabaly, which was in state-controlled territory and lies within 400km of Bamako....(size: 3.7Kb)

France to triple troops in Mali, regional deployment deal delayed

CNTV

16 Jan 2013

BAMAKO, Jan ... the Bamako military airport as part of the "Serval" operation in Mali, Jan ... Local residents saw a column of French armored vehicles leaving the capital Bamako and marching towards Diabaly late Tuesday, however, there is no official comments on probably the first major northward advancement of ground forces....(size: 8.7Kb)

France wants Gulf Arab states to help back African forces in Mali

Business Day

16 Jan 2013

BAMAKO — FRANCE stepped up its intervention in the West African state of Mali on Tuesday with more air strikes and sought Arab states’ backing as regional allies struggled to accelerate their plans to send in troops ... Ecowas mission head in Bamako Aboudou Toure Cheaka said the West African troops would be on the ground in a week....(size: 3.9Kb)

Facing French, Mali Rebels Dig In and Blend In

The New York Times

16 Jan 2013

BAMAKO, Mali — In the face of fierce, all-night bombardment by the French military, Mali’s Islamist insurgents have hunkered down to fight again ... Containing their southern advance toward Bamako, the capital, is proving more challenging than anticipated, French military officials acknowledged Tuesday ... Late Tuesday, a French convoy was heading north from Bamako; a military spokesman refused to disclose its destination....(size: 9.9Kb)

France prepares to take lead in Mali land assault

Detroit news

16 Jan 2013

French troops in an armored personnel carrier drive through Mali's capital, Bamako ... Bamako, Mali — After a punishing bombing campaign failed to halt the advance of al-Qaida-linked fighters, France pledged Tuesday to send hundreds more troops into Mali as it prepared for a land assault to dislodge the militants occupying the northern half of the country....(size: 9.2Kb)

French Ground Troops Prepare to Battle Islamists

Jakarta Globe

16 Jan 2013

Another convoy was seen leaving Bamako in a northerly direction. A security source announced plans to "take back Diabaly with the French ." ... West African army chiefs meanwhile met in Bamako to plan the roll-out of the UN-mandated, 3,300-strong regional intervention force in the former French colony ... 300 more than previously announced ... French diplomats and aid agencies plan to meet in Paris and Bamako this week to address the challenge....(size: 5.5Kb)

timeline:
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For other uses, see Bamako (disambiguation).

Bamako
— Capital City and Cercle —
View of Bamako
Bamako on the Niger River
Bamako Bamako on the Niger River
Coordinates: 12°39′N 8°0′W / 12.65°N 8°W / 12.65; -8
Country	Mali
Region	Bamako Capital District
Cercle	Bamako
Subdivisions	Communes Commune I^[1] Commune II^[1] Commune III^[2] Commune IV^[2] Commune V^[3] Commune VI^[3]
Government
• Type	Capitol District
• Marie du District	Adama Sangaré^[4]
Area
• Capital City and Cercle	245.0 km² (94.6 sq mi)
• Metro	17,141.61 km² (6,618.41 sq mi)
Elevation^[5]	350 m (1,150 ft)
Population (1 April 2009)(Census, provisional)
• Capital City and Cercle	1,809,106
• Density	7,384.11/km² (19,124.8/sq mi)
• Metro	2,757,234
• Metro density	160.85/km² (416.6/sq mi)
Time zone	Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-0)

View of Bamako from Space

Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a population of 1.8 million (2009 Census, provisional). In 2006, it was estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world.^[6] It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.

Bamako is the nation's administrative center. The city proper is a cercle in its own right. Bamako's river port is located in nearby Koulikoro, along with a major regional trade and conference center. Bamako is the seventh largest West African urban center after Lagos, Abidjan, Kano, Ibadan, Dakar, and Accra. Locally manufactured goods include textiles, processed meat and metal goods. There is commercial fishing on the Niger River.

The name Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning "crocodile river".^[7]

1 History
2 Geography
3 Climate
4 Administration
- 4.1 Communes and neighborhoods
- 4.2 Demographics
5 Economy
6 Landmarks
7 Transport
8 Healthcare
9 In popular culture
10 Notable people
11 Sister cities
12 See also
13 References
14 External links

History [link]

The area of the city has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic era for more than 150,000 years. The fertile lands of the Niger River Valley provided the people with an abundant food supply and early kingdoms in the area grew wealthy as they established trade routes linking across west Africa the Sahara and leading to northern Africa and Europe. The early inhabitants traded gold, ivory, Kola nuts and salt.^[8] By the 11th century the Empire of Ghana became the first kingdom to dominate the area. Bamako had become a major market town, and a centre for Islamic scholars, with the establishment of two universities and numerous mosques in medieval times.^[8]

The Mali Empire grew during the early Middle Ages and replaced Ghana as the dominant kingdom in west Africa, dominating Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Mauritania.^[8] In 14th century the Mali Empire became increasingly wealthy because of the trade of cotton and salt. This was eventually succeeded by the Songhai Empire and in the 16th century Berber invaders from Morocco destroyed what remained of the kingdoms in Mali and trans-Saharan trade was taken over by sailors.^[8]

French Fort of Bammakou 1883

By the late 19th century, the French dominated much of western Africa, and in 1883, present-day Mali became part of the colony of French Sudan, and was its capital in 1908. Cotton and rice farming was encouraged through large irrigation projects and a new railroad connected Mali to Dakar on the Atlantic coast.^[8] Mali was annexed then into French West Africa, a federation which lasted from 1895 to 1959.^[8]

Mali gained independence from France in April 1960, and the Republic of Mali was later established. At this time Bamako had a population of around 160,000. During the 1960s the country became socialist and Bamako was subject to Soviet investment and influence.^[8] However, the economy declined as state enterprises collapsed and unrest was widespread.^[8] Eventually Moussa Traoré led a successful coup and ruled Mali 23 years. However his rule was characterised by severe droughts and poor government management and problems of food shortages.^[8]

Amadou Toumani Touré

In the late 1980s the people of Bamako and Mali campaigned for a free market economy and multiparty democracy. In 1990, the National Congress for Democratic Initiative (Congrès National d'Initiative démocratique, CNID) was set up by the lawyer Mountaga Tall, and the Alliance for Democracy in Mali (Alliance pour la démocratie au Mali, ADEMA) by Abdramane Baba and historian Alpha Oumar Konaré. These with the Association des élèves et étudiants du Mali (AEEM) and the Association Malienne des Droits de l'Homme (AMDH) aimed to oust Moussa Traoré. Under the old constitution, all labor unions had to belong to one confederation, the National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM). When the leadership of the UNTM broke from the government in 1990, the opposition grew. Groups were driven by paycuts and layoffs in the government sector, and the Malian government acceding to pressure from international donors to privatise large swathes of the economy that had remained in public hands even after the overthrow of the socialist government in 1968. Students, even children, played an increasing role in the protest marches in Bamako, and homes and businesses of those associated with the regime were ransacked by crowds.

On 22 March 1991 a large-scale protest march in central Bamako was violently suppressed, with estimates of those killed reaching 300. Four days later a military coup deposed Traoré. The Comité de Transition pour le Salut du Peuple was set up, headed by General Amadou Toumani Touré.^[9] Alpha Oumar Konari officially became president on 26 April 1992.^[8]

Geography [link]

The Cercle of Bamako

Bamako is situated on the Niger River floodplain, which hampers development along the riverfront and the Niger's tributaries. Bamako is relatively flat, except to the immediate north where there is an escarpment, being what remains of an extinct volcano. The Presidential Palace and main hospital are located here.

Pont des Martyrs

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 a seasonal causeway between the eastern neighborhoods of Sotuba and Misabugu inherited from colonial times (alternated traffic on 1-lane with 5 crossing sections). The Sotuba Causeway ( "Chaussée submersible de Sotuba" in French, and "Babilikoroni" in Bamanankan) 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 at the same location^[10] to reduce downtown congestion, notably by trucks.

Climate [link]

Bamako has a hot and humid Sahelian climate and is very hot on average all year round. Under the Köppen climate classification, Bamako has a tropical wet and dry climate. The average temperature highs of every month is over 30 °C, with the warmest months being March, April and May, when the temperature reaches an average of 39 °C. Record highs of 46 °C have been recorded in the month of May. The coolest months are November to February, which experience average lows of 16–19 °C, although the temperature may fluctuate greatly, with highs of 47 °C having been recorded in February, for instance. During the winter months, rainfall is very scarce, with little rain falling from October to April and virtually no rainfall between December and February. The rainy season occurs in the summer, with the peak rainfall occurring in the months of July, August and September.

Climate data for Bamako
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	42 (108)	47 (117)	43 (109)	44 (111)	46 (115)	41 (106)	39 (102)	36 (97)	36 (97)	40 (104)	43 (109)	40 (104)	47 (117)
Average high °C (°F)	33 (91)	36 (97)	39 (102)	39 (102)	39 (102)	34 (93)	32 (90)	31 (88)	32 (90)	34 (93)	34 (93)	33 (91)	35 (95)
Average low °C (°F)	16 (61)	19 (66)	22 (72)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	18 (64)	17 (63)	21 (70)
Record low °C (°F)	9 (48)	11 (52)	14 (57)	18 (64)	19 (66)	18 (64)	18 (64)	17 (63)	17 (63)	15 (59)	12 (54)	8 (46)	8 (46)
Precipitation mm (inches)	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (0.12)	15 (0.59)	74 (2.91)	137 (5.39)	279 (10.98)	348 (13.7)	206 (8.11)	43 (1.69)	15 (0.59)	0 (0)	1,120 (44.09)
Source: BBC Weather^[11]

Administration [link]

Taxi vans in Bamako

Avenue Al Qoods in central Bamako

The District of Bamako has been divided into six communes (distinguished by numbers, and not named) since Ordinance No. 78-34/CNLM of 18 August 1978, and amended by a law in February 1982 establishing the new boundaries of Communes III and IV.^[12] Each commune is administered by the municipal council and a mayor elected from among its members. The last elections were held on 26 April 2009 and the Alliance for Democracy in Mali hold the majority of representatives for the communes.

Communes and neighborhoods [link]

Commune I has a population of 335,407 people (2009) and covers an area of 35,0 km². It is bounded to the north by the rural commune of Djalakorodji (Kati Cercle), west by the Commune II, north-east by the rural commune of Sangarebougou (Kati Cercle), on the east by the rural commune of Gabakourou and south by the Niger River. Nine neighborhoods comprise this commune: Banconi, Boulkassombougou, Djelibougou, Doumanzana Fadjiguila, Sotuba Korofina North and South Korofina Sikoroni.^[13]

Commune II has a population of 159,805 people (2009) and covers an area of 18,3 km². It is bounded to the east by the backwater of Korofina at the west foot of the Point G hill, and to the south by Niger River. The municipality has eleven neighborhoods: Niaréla (the oldest), Bagadadji, Medina-Coura, Bozola, Missira, Hippodrome, Quinzambougou, Bakaribougou, TSF, Industrial Area and Bougouba. The area is the most important in the industry sector in Bamako.^[14]

Commune III has a population of 128,872 people (2009) and covers an area of 20,7 km². It is bounded on the north by the Kati, east by the Boulevard du Peuple, which separates it from the Commune II, south by the portion of the Niger River, between the Pont des Martyrs and the Motel de Bamako, and west by the Farako River and Avenue Cheick Zayed El Mahyan Ben Sultan with the neighborhood of ACI-2000. Commune III is the administrative and commercial center of Bamako. It accommodates in particular the two largest markets in the capital, the Grand Market and Didida. Twenty neighborhoods make up this commune and the villages pf Koulouninko and Sirakorodounfing were attached to the Commune III.^[15]

Commune IV has a population of 300,085 people (2009) and covers an area of 42,0 km². It is bounded to the east by Commune III, north, west by Kati Cercle and south by the left bank of the Niger River. Commune IV consists of eight neighborhoods: Taliko, Lassa, Sibiribougou, Djikoroni Para, Sébénikoro, Hamdallaye, Lafiabougou and Kalabambougou.^[16]

Commune V has a population of 414,668 people (2009) and covers an area of 42,0 km².^[17] It is bounded to the north by the Niger River, south by the airport and the town of Coro-Kalanban, and to the east by the Commune VI and Niger. It consists of eight neighborhoods: Badalabougou, Sema I, Quartier Mali, Torokorobougou, Baco-Djicoroni, Sabalibougou, Daoudabougou and Kalaban-Coura.

Commune VI has a population of 470,269 people (2009) and covers an area of 87,0 km². This is the largest of the communes that make up Bamako. It consists of ten neighborhoods: Banankabougou, Djanékéla, Faladié, Magnambougou, Missabougou, Niamakoro, Sénou, Sogoniko, Sokorodji and Yrimadio [20].

Bamako contains the following neighborhoods (quartiers): ACI-2000, Badalabugu, Bajalan I, Bajalan II, Bako Jikoroni, Bagadaji, Bamako Kura, Bankoni, Bolibana, Bozola, Bugudani, Bulkasumbugu, Dar Salam, N'tomikorobougou, Dawdabugu, Dravela, Fajigila, Falaje, Garantigibugu, Jalakoroji, Janekela, Janjigila, Jelibugu, Jikoroni Para, Jumanzana, Hamdallaye, Hippodrome, Kalaban Koro, Kalaban Kura, Korofina, Kuluba, Kulubleni, Lafiabugu, Madina Kura, Magnambugu (Magnambugu Faso Kanu), Misabugu, Misira, Niarela, Ntomikorobugu, Point G, Quartier du Fleuve, Quartier Mali, Quinzanbugu, Sabalibugu I, Sabalibugu II, Safo, Same, Sangarebugu, Saranbugu, Sebeninkoro, Sikoroni, Sirakoro, Senu, Sibiribugu, Sokoniko, Sokoroji, Sotuba, Titibugu, Torokorobugu, TSF-Sans Fil, Wolofobugu, Yirimanjo, Zone Industrielle

Demographics [link]

People gathered on a Bamako hillside.

The population growth has been staggering. In 1884 it had only 2500 inhabitants, 8000 in 1908, 37,000 in 1945 and 100,000 in 1960. Today the population is at least 18 times the size of what it was in 1960 with over 1,800,000 recorded at the 2009 Census, and continues to attract a rural population in search of work. Including illegal squatters and temporary workers some experts believe the population today is well over 2 million. This uncontrolled growth causes significant difficulties in terms of traffic, sanitation (access to safe water, sanitation), pollution. Bamako became the crossroads of West Africa and hosts a diverse population, composed of different ethnic groups in Mali but also from neighboring countries.

Economy [link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

Craft sellers set up their wares at the "zone artisanal" in Bamako city centre.

Industry [link]

The traditional commercial centre of Bamako was located 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 area is being developed at the junction between ACI-2000 and the King Fadh Bridge, containing most of the state departments (ministries) and administrative services in a central location. Bamako is also the headquarters of many large companies and administrative institutions.^{[citation needed]} Air Mali (formerly Compagnie Aérienne du Mali) has its head office in Bamako.^[18] Bamako received much investment by Saudi Arabia for decades which saw a number of important structures being built. In recent years, China has become an important investor in Bamako, developing its infrastructure and facilities.

Cattle crossing a road in Bamako

Agriculture is active in Bamako, with the presence of Bozo fisherman and it is common to see cattle crossing the streets. However, the most important by far is the manufacturing and service sector. The District of Bamako concentrates 70% of industrial activity.^[19] The service sector is the most developed, and the city thrives in crafts and trade.

Music [link]

A music boom in Bamako took off in the 1990s, when the vocalist Salif Keita and the singer-guitarist Ali Farka Touré achieved international fame.^[20] It attracted a number of tourists, record producers and aspiring musicians to the city to try to follow in their footsteps. It is common to see musicians in the streets with djembes and percussion bands playing traditional Bamana rhythms.

The range of ethnicities involved in Bamako's music scene are diverse, including singers and instrumentalists from Mali's myriad ethnic groups; the Tuaregs of the Sahara, the Sonrai of Timbuktu, the Malinkes from the border region south of Bamako, the Dogon cliff dwellers, the Wassalous near the Ivory Coast, the Fulas of central Mali etc.^[20] Bars and nightclubs have grown rapidly including Mr. Keita's Mofu and Oumou Sangare's Hotel Wassulu which featured Malian and other west African artists. Notable western artists such as Robert Plant, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker and the French Basque star Manu Chao have all visited Bamako to jam and record with notable local musicians.^[20]

Energy [link]

Much of the electricity, is generated from the hydroelectric Sélingué Dam.The drinking water supply in Bamako and Kati is also ensured by a pumping station on the Niger River. However, the capacity of 135,000 m³ to provide drinking water per day is insufficient for the needs estimated at 152,000 m³ during the hot season between April and June. During this period, frequent water shortages are experienced. A new pumping station is to open in Kabala in 2009.

Landmarks [link]

Bamako Grand Mosque

The National Library of Mali was first created by the Institut Français d'Afrique Noire, an arm of the French colonial government, in 1944. Following Mali's 1960 independence, this library became the Government Library; it would later be renamed again as the National Library of Mali. In 1968 the library was transferred from its initial home in Koulouba to Ouolofobougou, a section of Bamako. The library holds more than 60,000 works, including books, periodicals, audio documents, videos, and software. These materials are available free to the public, though a small subscription fee is required for borrowing privileges. The library also hosts some of the exhibits for African Photography Encounters, a biannual Bamako photography festival.

The Bamako Grand Mosque is located in the city centre of Bamako, situated north of the Niger River near the central Market (Grand Marche) and the colonial era Bamako Cathedral. It is one of the tallest structures in Bamako. Built on the site of a pre-colonial mud-brick mosque, the current mosque was built through funding from the Saudi Arabian government at the end of the 1970s. With its tall cement minarets built around a square central structure, the building is stylistically closer to Saudi religious structures than West African.^[21] The mosque is visible from much of the city and occasionally is opened to tourists.

BCEAO tower

The BCEAO Tower at 20 stories is the tallest building in the West African nation. It sits of the north ("left") bank of the River Niger in the city centre of Bamako.^[22] The BCEAO Tower is the Malian headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States, which provides development banking and government financial and currency services in several Francophone West African nations. Classified as Neo-Sudanic architecture, it is modeled on the Sudano-Sahelian architecture of the famous mosques of Djenne and Timbuktu. The building is located in the busy Commune III neighbourhood, where "Avenue Moussa Tavele" meets the waterside boulevard between the two main Bamako bridges : King Fahd Bridge a block west and Martyrs Bridge three blocks east. Just to the east of the BCEAO complex, a park and formal garden marks where the diagonally running "Boulevard du Peuple" reaches the river. By contrast, small market gardens and launching points or river canoes lie along the river front.^[22] With the Hotel de l'Amitié and the Bamako Grand Mosque, the BCEAO Tower is one of three landmarks visible across most of the city.^[22] Also of note is the Bamako Cathedral.

The National Museum of Mali buildings, designed by architect Jean-Loup Pivin.

Bamako Cathedral

The National Museum of Mali is an archeological and anthropological museum, presenting permanent and temporary exhibits on the prehistory of Mali, as well as the musical instruments, dress, and ritual objects associated with Mali's various ethnic groups. The National Museum began under French rule as the Sudanese Museum, part of the Institut Français d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) under Théodore Monod. It was opened on 14 February 1953, under the direction of Ukrainian archeologist Y. Shumowskyi. Archaeologist Y. Shumovskyi had worked in the museum for nine years, gathering half (nearly 3000) of today's finds.

With the independence of the Republic of Mali in 1960, the Sudanese Museum became the National Museum of Mali, with the new objectives of promoting national unity and celebrating Malian traditional culture. However, lack of financial means and absence of qualified personnel caused some deterioration in the museum's collections. On 30 March 1956, the National Museum moved into a new cemented structure, created by architect Jean-Loup Pivin from traditional Malian designs. Since the 1996 election of former archaeologist Alpha Oumar Konaré to Mali's presidency, the museum's funding has increased considerably, becoming among the best in West Africa. The museum often hosts part of the biannual African Photography Encounters, photography festival held in Bamako since 1994.

Also of note is the Muso Kunda Museum, the Bamako Regional Museum, Bamako Zoo, the Bamako Botanical Gardens, the National Conference Center Tower (NCC), the Souvenir Pyramid, the Independence Monument, Al Quoods Monument, the triangular Monument de la paix, the Hamdallaye obelisk, the Modibo Keita Memorial and many other monuments, the Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampaté Ba and the Point G hill, containing caves with rock paintings.

In 1988, Bamako was the location of a WHO conference known as the Bamako Initiative that helped reshape health policy of Sub-Saharan Africa. The yearly held Budapest-Bamako rally has the endpoint in Bamako, with the Dakar Rally often passing through Bamako.

Al Quoods Monument
Independence Monument
Monument de la paix
Hamdallaye obelisk
Statue of Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes
Pyramide du souvenir
Place Abdoul Karim Camara
Place des explorateurs

Transport [link]

Looking north from Pont Des Martyrs. Kuluba hill is in the background.

This is a Sotrama stand (pronounced so-tram-a). The Sotrama (Taxi van) is what is used as 'public transportation' though many are owned independently.

The Dakar-Niger Railway links Bamako to Dakar via Kati, Négala, Kita and Kayes. The road network links Bamako to Koulikoro, Kati, Kolokani, Ségou and Sikasso.

The Bamako-Sénou International Airport is located 15 km from the city and opened to passengers in 1974. Passenger traffic steadily increased in the early 2000s. Government figures revealed 403,380 passengers in 1999, 423,506 in 2003, 486,526 in 2004, and 516,000 in 2005. and is predicted to reach over 900,000 by 2015 under a low (4%) yearly growth rate scenario.^[23] To date this growth rate has been surpassed. Total air traffic the airport increased by 12.4% in 2007 and 14% in 2008. Most of this increase came in passenger transport, with the number of passengers served increasing by 20% in 2007 and 17% in 2008. Twenty-seven airline carriers operated weekly or better at Bamako-Sénou International Airport in the 2007–2008 period. This continued growth was offset by cargo flights' decline of 16.75% in 2007, and 3.93% in 2008.^[24] The highest frequency route is on the Bamako-Dakar sector with 29 weekly non-stop connections. Domestic flights also serve Mali's regional capitals Kayes, Mopti, Timbuktu, Sikasso, Gao, and Kidal. Bamako Senou International Airport is managed by Aéroports du Mali (ADM).^[23] Its operations are overseen by the Malian Ministry of Equipment and Transports.^[24]

Much of the transportation is either by the Niger River, or by paved roads linking Bamako to other major urban areas. Navigating the Niger River is possible from Koulikoro to Mopti and Gao. The bush taxi is one of the main modes of transport.

Bamako is situated on both sides of the river Niger River and two bridges connect the two banks: the Bridge of Martyrs completed in 1960 and renamed in memory of protesters killed in March 1991 by the regime of Moussa Traoré, and the King Fahd Bridge, named after the Saudi Arabian donor. A third bridge project is currently being funded by the People's Republic of China. Located in Sotuba area, it has the objective to decongest traffic in the city.^[25]

Healthcare [link]

The Point G hospital, built between 1906 and 1913, covers an area of 25 hectares. A former military hospital, it became a civilian hospital shortly before the independence of Mali, and is situated on a hill overlooking Bamako^[26]

The second hospital of Bamako is the Gabriel Touré Hospital named after a young doctor and humanist Gabriel Touré who was born in 1910 in Ouagadougou and died in 1935 after having been contaminated by a patient with the pneumonic plague. The hospital was established in 1959.^[27]

The contract for the building of a new hospital in Bamako, to relieve pressure on the other hospital resources was signed on 27 December 2008. Located in the district of Yirimadio, the department will include a pediatric and obstetrics-gynecology facilities, a department of internal medicine, medical imagery facilities and hospital care with 150 beds to support the emergency services and intensive care. This hospital, like many recent developments in Bamako is financed and equipped with Chinese investment.^[28]

In popular culture [link]

Bamako has provided the backdrop or been the subject of books and films such as Bamako, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. The film depicts a trial taking place in Bamako, amid the daily life that is going on in the city. In the midst of that trial, two sides argue whether the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, or perhaps corruption, are guilty of the current financial state of many poverty-stricken African countries. The film was first released at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2006 and in Manhattan by New Yorker Films on 14 February 2007 and was the recipient of the first Film Award of the Council of Europe given at the Istanbul International Film Festival in April 2007.^[29]

Notable people [link]

Ministry buildings
A Bozo girl in Bamako
Pont des Martyres (Martyrs' Bridge)
Monument
Tower by the Bamako International Conference Center
Bamako airport road welcome sign
Place de la liberté

Sister cities [link]

Angers, France (since 1974)
Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Dakar, Senegal
Leipzig, Germany
Rochester, New York United States (since 1975)
São Paulo, Brazil (since 2000)

References [link]

^ ^a ^b http://www.essor.gov.ml/jour/cgi-bin/view_article.pl?id=21984
^ ^a ^b http://www.essor.gov.ml/jour/cgi-bin/view_article.pl?id=21982
^ ^a ^b http://www.essor.gov.ml/jour/cgi-bin/view_article.pl?id=21983
^ "Coupe du Maire du District : Le Stade reçoit son trophée". L'Essor, 24 September 2008
^ http://population.mongabay.com/population/mali/2460596/bamako
^ World's fastest growing cities and urban areas from 2006 to 2020, by CityMayors.com
^ "SUDANESE IMPOSE SENEGAL BOYCOTT; Traders Told to Use Port in Ivory Coast – Move Is Aimed at Dakar's Trade". New York Times, 3 September 1960
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Bamako – History". Africatravelling.net. http://www.africatravelling.net/mali/bamako/bamako_history.htm. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
^ Patrick Manning. Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, 1880–1995: 1880–1995. Cambridge University Press (1998) ISBN 0-521-64519-0 pp.198–199
^ Construction du 3e Pont de Bamako : Maliens et Chinois d'accord sur les aspects techniques du projet
^ "Average Conditions Bamako, Mali". BBC Weather. June 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT000380. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
^ Ordonnance n° 78-34/CNLM du 18 août 1978, modifiée par une loi de février 1982 fixant les nouvelles limites des Communes III et IV, cité par Doussou Djiré, Commune IV : entre tradition et modernité, l'Essor, 24 April 2009
^ Badiaga, S. (24 April 2009). "Town I: 26 lists in contention, the Rise"
^ Konate, S. (24 April 2009). "Commune II: the cradle of Bamako, The Rise"
^ Cissé, A.M. (24 April 2009). Commune III : dans un mouchoir de poche ? l'Essor
^ Djiré, Doussou (24 April 2009), Commune IV : entre tradition et modernité, l'Essor
^ Doumbia, B. (24 April 2009). Commune V : La nécessité d’agir, L’Essor]
^ "Contact-us." Air Mali. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
^ Industrial Census in 2006, provided the Council of Ministers of 20 December 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hammer, Joshua (2 April 2006). "The Siren Song of Mali". New York Times. http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/travel/02mali.html?ex=1144641600&en=5d9d61a127019b74&ei=5070&emc=eta1/.
^ Velton (2000) p.124
^ ^a ^b ^c Velton, Russ (2006). Mali. Chalfont St Peter, Bucks / Guilford, Connecticut: Bradt UK / Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-1-84162-077-0.
^ ^a ^b Composante aéroport Bamako-Sénou, Proposition MCA-Mali (2006)
^ ^a ^b "Air traffic at Bamako airport increases by 14% in 2008". PANA press. 2009-01-14
^ « Troisième pont de Bamako : le compte à rebours a commencé », L'Essor, 19 November 2007.
^ B. Doumbia, « Centenaire du Point G : Un siècle à la pointe des soins et une belle histoire », L'Essor, 11 December 2006.
^ B. Doumbia, Board of Directors of the Gabriel Toure hospital: the quality imperative, L'Essor, 26 February 2009
^ B. Doumbia, Futur « Hôpital du Mali » : les travaux peuvent démarrer, l'Essor, 31 December 2008
^ ""Bamako", winner of the first Council of Europe film award in Istanbul". Council of Europe. 14 April 2007. http://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1118399. Retrieved 14 April 2009.

Pascal James Imperato. Historical Dictionary of Mali. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ – London (1986) ISBN 0-8108-1369-6
Ross Velton. Mali: The Bradt Travel Guide. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press, 2000.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bamako

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v t e Niger River

Countries	Guinea Mali Niger Benin Nigeria

Sections	Source of the Niger Middle Niger Inner Niger Delta Lower Niger Niger Delta

Tributaries (list) and distributaries	Tinkisso River Sankarani River Milo River Bani River Mekrou River Alibori River Sola River Sokoto River Sota River Kaduna River Benue River Anambra River Forcados River Nun River

Cities	Siguiri Bamako Segou Mopti Timbuktu Gao Niamey Lokoja Onitsha

Lakes	Kainji Lake Lac Debo

Dams and bridges	King Fahd Bridge Martyrs Bridge Markala Dam Gao Bridge Kennedy Bridge Kainji Dam River Niger Bridge (Onitsha)

Protected Areas	Niger Basin Authority National Park of Upper Niger W National Park Kainji National Park

v t e Cercles of Mali

Kayes Region	Bafoulabé · Diéma · Kita · Kéniéba · Kayes · Nioro · Yélimané

Koulikoro Region	Banamba · Dioïla · Kangaba · Koulikoro · Kolokani · Kati · Nara

Sikasso Region	Bongouni · Kolondieba · Kadiolo · Koutiala · Sikasso · Yanfolila · Yorosso

Ségou Region	Bla · Barouéli · Macina · Niono · Ségou · San · Tominian

Mopti Region	Bandiagara · Bankass · Djenné · Douentza · Koro · Mopti · Tenenkou · Youwarou

Tombouctou Region	Diré · Goundam · Gourma-Rharous · Niafunké · Timbuktu

Gao Region	Ansongo · Bourem · Gao · Menaka

Kidal Region	Abeïbara · Kidal · Tin-Essako · Tessalit

Bamako Capital District	Bamako

Coordinates: 12°39′N 8°0′W / 12.65°N 8°W / 12.65; -8

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Habib Koité

Background information
Born	(1958-01-27) 27 January 1958 (age 54) Thiès, Senegal
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals
Years active	1995–present
Associated acts	Bamada

Habib Koité (born 1958 in Thiès, Senegal) is a solo singer, songwriter and guitarist. His supporting cast, Bamada, is a super-group of West African talent, including Kélétigui Diabaté playing balafon.

1 Musical style
2 History
3 Discography
- 3.1 Albums
4 Sources
5 External links

Musical style [link]

Koité is known primarily for his unique approach to playing the guitar by tuning it on a pentatonic scale and playing on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni. Other pieces of his music sound more like the blues or flamenco which are two styles he learned under Khalilou Traore.

Koité's vocal style is intimate and relaxed, emphasizing calm, moody singing rather than operatic technical prowess. Members of Bamada play talking drum, guitar, bass, drum set, harmonica, violin, calabash, and balafon. Koité composes and arranges all songs, singing in English, French, and Bambara.

History [link]

Koité was born in 1958 to musical parents, from whom he learned instrumentation by watching and listening. He joined the Bamako National Institute of Arts and became a conductor in 1978 after only six months of playing. He graduated in 1982, and formed his band Bamada in 1988. The name "Bamada" is a nickname for residents of Mali's capital city Bamako, and the word roughly translates as "In the mouth of the crocodile." Other members of the band were friends of Koité's from childhood.

One of Koité's best-known songs, "Cigarette Abana" (No more cigarettes), was first recorded in 1991. A new Latin-style version on his later CD Baro, along with the song "Nanalé", won Koite the Radio France International Discoveries Prize in 1992. After this recognition, Koité was able to launch his first tour outside of Africa in 1994. He met his manager the next year, and released his first album, Muso Ko which rose to #3 on the European World Music Charts. Two tracks from Muso Ko, I Ka Barra and Din Din Wo, were included with Microsoft Windows Vista, exposing his music to millions of listeners. His follow-up album, Ma Ya also did very well.

Ma Ya was re-distributed through the Putumayo World Music label, increasing his exposure in the United States, and his next album, Baro, was distributed through them as well. Koité became one of Mali's most successful musicians internationally. He has performed and recorded with Eric Bibb and Bonnie Raitt, among other Western musicians. Raitt also invited Koité to record with her on her latest album Silver Lining. Many of his songs have been featured on various Putumayo compilations, such as Blues Around The World and Mali.

Habib and Bamada were on stage at the African Roots and Shoots Festival at London's Barbican in 2000 and have also performed at many other international festivals. Later in 2000, Habib was part of the "Voices of Mali" tour in U.S. and Canada. In 2004 and again in 2005, Habib and the Band toured to enthusiastic audiences. He played a single benefit performance in Providence, Rhode Island in December, 2005. Bamada is currently touring internationally in support of their latest album, Afriki.

Discography [link]

Albums [link]

Muso Ko, 1995
Ma Ya, 1998
Baro, 2001
Live!, 2004
Afriki, 2007

Sources [link]

Habib Koité Homepage
Artist Profile
Putumayo biography
Putumayo description of Baro with accompanying biographical information
Biography at Mali-music

External links [link]

Review of Habib Koite and Bamada in Concert

Persondata
Name	Koité, Habib
Alternative names
Short description	Malian musician
Date of birth	27 January 1958
Place of birth	Khassonké, Mali
Date of death
Place of death

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2008)

Eric Bibb
Eric Bibb in concert
Background information
Birth name	Eric Bibb
Born	(1951-08-16) 16 August 1951 (age 60)
Origin	New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Acoustic folk-blues
Occupations	Composer, vocalist
Instruments	Vocal and guitar
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Telarc International
Website	Official website

Eric Bibb (born 16 August 1951) is an American-born acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He moved to Europe in 1970 and currently resides in Helsinki, Finland, together with his Finnish wife and tour manager Sari Matinlassi-Bibb.^[1]

1 Biography
2 Awards
3 Discography
4 References
5 External links

Biography [link]

Bibb's father, Leon,^[2] was a musical theatre singer, who made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene; his uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather.^[3]

He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing, advised the 11-year-old Bibb to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".

Bibb remembers from his early teen years:

I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White.^[4]

At 16 years old, his father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Bill Lee, who played bass in this band, was later to appear on Bibb's albums Me To You and Friends. In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's Place in New York. He went on to study Psychology and Russian at Columbia University, but did not finish these studies. The next year, aged 19, he left for Paris, where he met guitarist Mickey Baker who focused his interest in blues guitar.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Bibb moved to Stockholm, where he immersed himself in pre-war blues and the newly-discovered world music scene, while he continued to write and perform. Good Stuff was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat. Bibb signed to the British-based Code Blue label, but only released one album, Me to You, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes, Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. This was followed by tours of the UK, US, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.

Eric Bibb at the Liri Blues Festival, Italy, in 2000.

In the late 1990s Bibb joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson to form Manhaton Records in Britain. The albums Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000) and Painting Signs (2001) followed, as did the 2005 releases for Opus 3, Just Like Love and Spirit & the Blues (Hybrid SACD of 1999 Earthbeat release). He now plays all over the world on tour; see Erics Website for details. After that, he made A Family Affair (2002) with his father, Leon Bibb. This was followed by Natural Light then Friends – 15 tracks featuring Bibb duetting with friends and musicians he had met on his travels such as Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Toukara.^[8]^[9]

In 2004, Eric Bibb released "Friends" as his debut release under Telarc International Corporation. Bibb has remained with Telarc Records since 2004 releasing several additional albums including, "A Ship Called Love" in 2005, "Diamond Days" in 2007, and "Spirit I Am" in 2008. Bibb released Booker's Guitar in January 2010 with music channeled from the Delta Guitar Master himself, Booker White, also known as Bukka White. In November 2011, he signed to Stony Plain Records.^[10]

In August 2011 he married his longtime partner and manager Sari Matinlassi-Bibb,^[11] whom he met while touring in Australia.^[1]

Awards [link]

Bibb has received a Grammy nomination for Shakin' a Tailfeather.^[12] He has been nominated for several W.C. Handy Awards. Nominated Acoustic Blues Album of the Year for Spirit and the Blues in 2000; for Home to Me in 2001; for Natural Light in 2004; for A Ship Called Love in 2006. Nominated Acoustic Blues-Artist of the Year in 2002; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2008.^[13]

Discography [link]

Select studio albums [link]

Eric Bibb: Ain't It Grand (1972)
Eric Bibb: Rainbow People (1977)
Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb: Olikalikadant (1978)
Eric Bibb & Bert Deivert: April Fools (1979)
Eric Bibb & Bert Deivert: River Road (1980)
Eric Bibb & Friends: Songs For Peace (1982)
Bert Deivert & Eric Bibb: Hello Stranger (1983)
Eric Bibb: Golden Apples Of The Sun (1983)
Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb: A Collection Of Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb (1993)
Eric Bibb & Needed Time: Spirit & The Blues (1996)
Eric Bibb & Needed Time: Good Stuff (1997)
Eric Bibb: Me To You (1997)
Eric Bibb: Home To Me (1999)
Eric Bibb: Roadworks (2000)
Eric Bibb: Just Like Love (2000)
Eric Bibb: Painting Signs (2001)
Leon & Eric Bibb: A Family Affair (2002)
Eric Bibb: Natural Light (2003)
Eric Bibb, Rory Block, & Maria Muldaur: Sisters & Brothers (2004)
Eric Bibb & Friends: Friends (2004)
Eric Bibb: A Ship Called Love (2005)
Leon & Eric Bibb: Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson (2006)
Eric Bibb: Diamond Days (2006)
Eric Bibb: 12 Gates To The City (2006)
Eric Bibb: Eric Bibb, A Retrospective ‒ with new studio track, "Trust The Dawn", and live track, "Saucer & Cup" (2006)
Eric Bibb: Get On Board (2008)
Eric Bibb: Spirit I Am (2008)
Eric Bibb: Booker's Guitar (2010)
Eric Bibb: Blues Ballads & Work Songs (2011)
Eric Bibb: The Haven (2011)
Eric Bibb: Booker's Guitar (2011)
Eric Bibb: Deeper In The Well (2012)

Select live albums [link]

Eric Bibb: Live At The Basement (2002)
Eric Bibb: An Evening with Eric Bibb (2007)
Eric Bibb: Live À FIP (a.k.a. Live At FIP) (2009)
Eric Bibb: Troubadour Live With Staffan Astner (2011)

Select special appearances & compilations [link]

Cyndee Peters: När Morgonstjärnan Brinner (1987)
Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, Taj Mahal, & Eric Bibb: Shakin' A Tailfeather (1997)
Various artists: Jazz FM Presents Absolute Blues (1997)
Various artists: Bob Harris Presents (Volume 1) (1999)
Various artists: Hippity Hop (1999)
Various artists: All You Need Is Love (Beatles Songs For Kids) (1999)
Various artists: Putumayo Presents Mali To Memphis (An African-American Odyssey) (1999)
Various artists: Putumayo Presents World Playground (A Musical Adventure For Kids) (1999)
Various artists: Screamin' & Hollerin' The Blues (2000)
Various artists: Blue Haze (Songs Of Jimi Hendrix) (2000)
Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra: Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues (2001)
Various artists: Putumayo Kids Presents Reggae Playground (2006)

References [link]

^ ^a ^b Rave Magazine, Brisbane, 2 May 2011: Eric Bibb Retrieved 2012-03-12
^ Milkowski, Bill (September 1999). "Bluetones". JazzTimes 29 (7): 69. ISSN 0272-572X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=uicEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
^ Washburn, Jim (6 March 1999). "Eric Bibb Feels No Pain When Singing Blues". LA Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1999/mar/06/entertainment/ca-14364. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ All About Jazz - Eric Bibb profile
^ "Eric Bibb on Mountain Stage". National Public Radio. 24 May 2011. http://www.npr.org/2011/05/24/136610075/eric-bibb-on-mountain-stage. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ Mercer, Dickson (22 July 2011). "Eric Bibb Plays Worldly Blues". South Maryland News. http://www.somdnews.com/article/20110722/ENTERTAINMENT/707229974/1068/eric-bibb-plays-worldly-blues&template=southernMaryland. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ Gilbert, Andrew (3 July 2009). "Bluesman Eric Bibb Taps Into The Spiritual Power of Music". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2009413368_bibb03.html. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ Montague, Tony (15 July 2004). "Eric Bibb Gathers 'Friends' From Some High Places". straight.com. http://www.straight.com/article/folk-fest-eric-bibb-gathers-friends-from-some-high-places. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ "Eric Bibb Lives His Legacy". The Vancouver Province. 13 April 2007. http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id=d010426a-5138-47ee-9c81-ccb2f3f3e1c6&k=11680. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ "Stony Plain Records Signs Acclaimed Folk Blues Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Eric Bibb". Mi2N. November 30, 2011. http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=149103. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
^ Edmonton Journal, September 10, 2011: Bibb draws inspiration from folk-blues pioneers Retrieved 2012-03-12
^ Official website
^ Blues Music Awards - Past Years

External links [link]

Official website
Video: In My Father's House
Video: Tell Ol' Bill
Illustrated Eric Bibb discography (1972-2010)
Discover the interview of Eric Bibb on E.K. TV as well as his songs "I Heard the Angels Singing", "Stagolee", "New Home" and "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down"

Persondata
Name	Bibb, Eric
Alternative names
Short description	American singer-songwriter
Date of birth	August 16, 1951
Place of birth	New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death

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Roswell Rudd

Background information
Birth name	Roswell Hopkins Rudd, Jr.
Born	(1935-11-17) 17 November 1935 (age 76) Sharon, Connecticut United States
Genres	Jazz, Dixieland, Free jazz, avant-garde jazz.
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, Professor
Instruments	Trombone,
Years active	1957–present
Labels	Columbia, Sunnyside, Universal, DIW, Verve
Associated acts	Eli's Chosen Six, New York Art Quartet, Archie Shepp, Thelonious Monk

Roswell Rudd (born Roswell Hopkins Rudd, Jr. in Sharon, Connecticut, on November 17, 1935) is a Grammy Award-nominated American jazz trombonist and composer.^[1]

Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including dixieland, which he performed while in college) and other genres of music, he is known primarily for his work in free and avant-garde jazz. Since 1962 Rudd has worked extensively with saxophonist Archie Shepp.^[2]

1 Biography
2 Awards and honors
3 Discography
- 3.1 As leader
- 3.2 As sideman
4 References
5 External links

Biography [link]

Rudd graduated from Yale University where he had played with Eli's Chosen Six, a dixieland band of Yale students that Rudd joined in the mid-'50s. The sextet played the boisterous trad jazz style of the day and recorded two albums, including one for Columbia. His landmark collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, John Tchicai and Steve Lacy grew out of the lessons learned while playing rags and stomps for drunken college kids in Connecticut.^[3]

Rudd later taught ethnomusicology at Bard College and the University of Maine.^[4] On and off for a period of three decades, Roswell Rudd assisted Alan Lomax with his world music song style (Cantometrics)^[5] and Global Jukebox projects^[6], and the wealth of information on the music of this planet that he absorbed inspired him to collaborate beyond the periphery of jazz or even of western music.

In the 1960s, Rudd participated in key free jazz recordings. Highlights include work with the New York Art Quartet; on the soundtrack recording for Michael Snow's 1964 film New York Eye and Ear Control; Michael Mantler & Carla Bley's 1968 Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Communications featuring Cecil Taylor; and collaborations with Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Larry Coryell and Gato Barbieri. A major factor in Rudd's career has been his lifelong friendships with saxophonists Archie Shepp and Steve Lacy -- and his numerous recordings and performances of the music of Thelonious Monk with Lacy.^[7]

Rudd has been a frequent visitor to the African nation of Mali, performing and recording with Malian musicians. His 2001 CD MALIcool, a cross-cultural collaboration with kora player Toumani Diabaté^[8] and other Malian musicians, represented the first time the trombone had been featured in a recording of Malian traditional music.^[9]

In 2004 he brought his Trombone Shout Band to perform at the 4th Festival au Désert in Essakane, Tombouctou Region, Mali.

In 2005 he extended his reach even further, recording a CD with the Mongolian Buryat Band, a traditional music group of musicians from Mongolia and Buryatia, entitled Blue Mongol.^[10]

More recently he has recorded with Latino musicians from New York City.

Rudd conducts master classes and workshops both in the United States and around the world.^[11]

He co-leads an ensemble with Archie Shepp, as well as touring with MALIcool, the Mongolian Buryat Band, as well as being a featured guest with a myriad of musicians, not always "jazz" musicians.

Awards and honors [link]

In 2000 Rudd was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in composition.^[12]
In 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010. he was voted Trombonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association^[13]^[14]^[15], ^[16]^[17].
His 1999 album Monk's Dream was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance Male, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
2010 Down Beat Magazine Critic's Poll – #1 Trombonist (46 years after the same forum voted him most likely to succeed, in 1964)^[18]
One of the 10 best of 2003 – Chris Porter, Washington City Paper
THE CODA TOP TEN OF 2002 - Selected by Duck Baker

Discography [link]

As leader [link]

1965: Roswell Rudd (America)
1966: Everywhere (also released as part of Mixed)
1973: Numatik Swing Band
1974: Flexible Flyer (Freedom Records)
1976: Blown Bone (Emanem Records)
1976: Inside Job with Enrico Rava, Dave Burrell, Stafford James, Harold White (Arista/ Freedom)
1978: The Definitive Roswell Rudd (Horo Records)
1982: Regeneration with Steve Lacy, Misha Mengelberg, Kent Carter, Han Bennink (Soul Note)
1996: The Unheard Herbie Nichols-VOL 1 & 2 with John Bacon, Jr and Greg Miller (CIMP)
1999: New York Art Quartet: 35 Reunion (DIW)
1999: Monk's Dream Steve Lacy/Roswell Rudd (Universal/Verve Records)
2000: Broad Strokes (Knitting Media)
2001: The Charlie Kohlhase Quintet plays the Music of Roswell Rudd: Eventuality (NADA)
2001: Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp Live in New York (Universal)
2002: MALIcool (UNIVERSAL/Sunnyside)
2005: Blue Mongol (Sunnyside)
2006: El Espiritu Jibaro (Sunnyside)
2007: Keep Your Heart Right (Sunnyside)
2008: El Encuentro (Mojito Records)

As sideman [link]

2008 - Concertos – Michael Mantler (ECM Records)
2006 - "Dry Bones" - with Sonic Youth, The Harry Smith Project CD 1 (Shout! Factory)
2003 - Sex Mob - Dime Grind Palace (Ropeadope Records)
2002 - Seize the Time – Nexus Orchestra (Splasch Records)
1997 - Newsense with Elton Dean (Slam Records)
1996 - Bladik Keith Tippett et al. (Cuneiform)
1996 - Terrible NRBQ & Terry Adams (New World)
1996 - Rumors of an Incident with Elton Dean (Slam Records)
1995 - Wozzek's Death with Allen Lowe (Enja)
1995 - Wild Weekend NRBQ & Terry Adams Virgin
1994 - Dark Was the Night with Allen Lowe
1992 - Darn it with Paul Haines AMERICAN CLAVE
1984 - That's the Way I Feel Now Produced by Hal Wilner - Monk Compositions
1981 - Interpretations of Monk Barry Harris, Steve Lacy, Don Cherry, Charlie Rouse, Mal Waldron, Muhal Richard Abrams, Ed Blackwell, Ben Riley, Richard Davis, Anthony Davis
1979 - Divine Song - with Sangeeta Michael Berardi, Rashied Ali, Eddie Gomez, Archie Shepp
1979 - Sharing - Giorgio Gaslini Discgidella Quercia
1979 - Musique Mecanique with Carla Bley Watt
1978 - Enrico Rava Quartet Enrico Rava, J.F. Jenny-Clarke & Aldo Romano ECM
1977 - European Tour 1977 with Carla Bley Watt
1976 - Dinner Music with Carla Bley Watt
1976 - Maine BVHAAST
1975 - Trickles Steve Lacy, Beaver Harris, Kent Carter Soul Note
1974 - Village on the Left Marcello Melis & Don Moye Soul Note
1972 - The Third World with Gato Barbieri IMPULSE
1972 - Roswell Rudd ( New York Art Quartet) AMERICA
1971 - Escalator over the Hill by Carla Bley JCOA
1971 - Liberation Music Orchestra Charlie Haden Impulse
1968 - Communications with Michael Mantler and JCOA WATT
1967 - Live At Donaueschingen SABA
1966 - Mama Too Tight with Archie Shepp Impulse
1966 - Until with Robin Kenyatta (Atlantic)
1966 - New York Eye and Ear Control Don Cherry, Albert Ayler, John Tchicai and Gary Peacock (ESP)
1966 - Archie Shepp Live in San Francisco with Archie Shepp (Impulse)
1964 - New York Art Quartet John Tchicai, Milford Graves (ESP)
1964 - Four for Trane with Archie Shepp (Impulse)
1963 - School Days Steve Lacy, Dennis Charles, Henry Grimes (HAT HUT)
1962 - Into the Hot Gil Evans / Cecil Taylor (Impulse)
1961 - New York City R&B Buell Neidlinger, Cecil Taylor (Mosaic)
1957 - Eli's Chosen 6 Yale University Dixieland Band (Columbia)

References [link]

External links [link]

NY Times feature on Roswell Rudd and Verna Gillis
Interview with Roswell Rudd, 2002
Discography
"In Conversation with Roswell Rudd" by Tomas Peña (Jazz.com)

Persondata
Name	Rudd, Roswell
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 17, 1935
Place of birth	Sharon, Connecticut United States
Date of death
Place of death

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http://de.wn.com/Roswell Rudd

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_Rudd

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Toumani Diabaté
Toumani Diabaté describing the construction of the kora during a performance at Afrofest 2007 in Toronto, Ontario
Background information
Born	(1965-08-10) August 10, 1965 (age 46)
Origin	Mali
Genres	Mali Music, Pop, World music
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Kora
Years active	1987–present
Labels	World Circuit
Website	worldcircuit.co.uk/#Toumani_Diabate
Notable instruments
Kora

Toumani Diabaté (born August 10, 1965) is a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he has also been involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles.

1 Biography
2 Discography
3 Filmography
4 References
5 External links

Biography [link]

Diabaté comes from a long family tradition of kora players including his father Sidiki Diabaté, who recorded the first ever kora album in 1970. His family's oral tradition tells of 71 generations of musicians preceding him in a patrilineal line. His cousin Sona Jobarteh is the first female kora player to come from a Griot family.

In 1987, Diabate made his first appearance on an album in the UK, on Ba Togoma, an album featuring his father's ensemble. In 1988 Diabaté released his first album in the West, a solo album entitled Kaira, recorded in one afternoon in London and produced by Lucy Duran.

In addition to performing Malian traditional music, Diabaté has also performed and recorded in cross-cultural settings. He has collaborated with flamenco group Ketama, forming a combined group known as Songhai and releasing two recordings: Songhai I and Songhai II. In 2006, Diabaté collaborated with American blues musician Taj Mahal on the release Kulanjan. "MALIcool" is a collaboration with American jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd. He also collaborated with the Icelandic popular musician Björk on her 2007 album Volta.

In 1999 Diabaté released the album New Ancient Strings, a collaboration with Ballake Sissoko and in September 2005, he released In the Heart of the Moon, for which he collaborated with Ali Farka Touré. The album went on to win the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album. On July 25, 2006 he released his latest album Boulevard de l'Indépendance, recorded with his Symmetric Orchestra. In the Heart of the Moon and Boulevard de l'Indépendance, are both part of the Hotel Mandé Sessions, recorded by Nick Gold and released on World Circuit Records. Both Boulevard and Hotel Mandé are references to landmarks in Mali's capital city, Bamako.

The Symmetric Orchestra led by Toumani Diabaté is composed of musicians (mostly griots)^[1] from the across the old Mande Empire of west Africa, who play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, djembe, balafon and bolombatto, as well as modern ones like the guitar and electronic keyboard.

Diabaté appeared in 2006 at the WOMAD Festival UK, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary. In 2007 he performed at the Glastonbury Festival and toured the U.S.A.. In 2008, he was at WOMADelaide (in Adelaide, South Australia).^[2] In early 2008, Diabaté released his new album of solo Kora music, The Mande Variations, to widespread critical acclaim. Many reviewers praised the album for its detailed recording of the Kora and careful mastering, in addition to the improvisational skills and wide range of apparent influences displayed on the album.^[3]

In October 2008 the Arabic language lyrics in Diabaté's song Tapha Niang (from Boulevard de l'Indépendance) were removed from the PlayStation 3 video game LittleBigPlanet, after it elicited objections from a Muslim individual due to their inclusion of verses from the Qur’an.^[4] The publisher Sony Computer Entertainment Europe decided to delay the launch of the game by a week and recall most discs in order to replace the song with a lyric-free instrumental version. However, some copies of the original game had already been sold in the Middle East and United States.^[5]

Diabaté was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2010 in Minehead. Diabaté also performed at Hay Festival in June. In July he performed at the Larmer Tree Festival to huge acclaim.

Discography [link]

Toumani Diabate performing at the 2007 Winnipeg Folk Festival

1987 - "Ba Togoma" (with Sidiki Diabaté, Mariama Kouyaté, Djeli Mady Sissoko, Kandia Kouayté)
1988 - Kaira
1988 - Songhai (with Ketama and Danny Thompson)
1994 - Songhai 2 (with Ketama and Danny Thompson)
1995 - Djelika
1999 - New Ancient Strings (with Ballake Sissoko)
1999 - Kulanjan (with Taj Mahal)
2001 - Jarabi: the Best of Toumani Diabate
2002 - Malicool (with Roswell Rudd)
2005 - In the Heart of the Moon (with Ali Farka Touré)
2006 - Boulevard de l'Indépendance
2008 - The Mandé Variations
2010 - Ali and Toumani - (World Circuit/Nonesuch Records) (with Ali Farka Touré)
2011 - A Curva da Cintura (with Arnaldo Antunes and Edgard Scandurra) - Brazil

Filmography [link]

Bamako Is a Miracle by Maurice Engler, Arnaud Robert and Samuel Chalard (Afro Blue, Geneva 2003).
Toumani Diabaté - Koraklänge aus dem Land der Flusspferde by Martina Pfaff (WDR, Cologne 2007).

References [link]

^ Chabasseur, Eglantine (2006-04-07). "Malian Music - Toumani Diabaté". RFI Musique. http://www.rfimusique.com/musiqueen/articles/076/article_7719.asp. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
^ WOMADelaide, site accessed 11 March 2008
^ Lusk, Jon (2008-02-20). "World Review - Toumani Diabaté, Mandé Variations". BBC Music. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/d5xm/.
^ Smith, Mike (2008-10-17). "Religious outcry sparks LittleBigRecall". Yahoo! Games. Yahoo Inc. http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/religious-outcry-sparks-littlebigrecall/1257227.
^ "Game delayed over Koran phrases". BBC News. BBC. 2008-10-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7679151.stm.

External links [link]

Toumani Diabaté official website
Toumani Diabaté on the label website (worldcircuit.co.uk)
Official Toumani Diabaté biography
Toumani Diabaté on Myspace
Afropop Worldwide Slideshow of Toumani Diabate Performing Live in Brooklyn (July 2007)
The Kora Star (August 2007)
'Our music is older than Bach' - Interview in The Guardian (October 2008)
Info on the kora & Toumani Diabaté
Toumoani Diabante review in The New Current
Making of Boulevard de L'Indépendance short documentary
Making of In the Heart of the Moon short documentary
Ali and Toumani Review and interview with Tounami Diabaté| Folk Radio UK

Persondata
Name	Diabate, Toumani
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1965-08-10
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toumani_Diabaté

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