Banamba is the capital of Banamba Cercle, one of the seven Cercles of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its estimated 2008 population is 7000. The town lies due north of the regional capital of Koulikoro, and is connected by a 40km all weather road via the town of Sirakorola, about half way between the two. It is the location of the Lycée Franco-Arabe de Banamba.

It takes about twenty minutes to walk from one end to the other. There are old neighborhoods with narrow, winding alleys, and newer neighborhoods (particularly the NE) with a grid of wider streets. The market, the great mosque, the pharmacy, the post office, the Cercle building, the library, and the schools are all close together. Roads approach the town from all directions; the roads from Koulikoro (to the South) and from Kiban (to the East) are laterite. A line of ponds, dry before the rainy season, lies to the West of the market.

The main ethnic groups found in Banamba are the Bambara, the Soninke, and the Fulani. The original settlers, whose family names are Simpara and Makaji, are related to the Soninke. Everyone speaks Bambara except some of the bush people, particularly Fulani, who come in to market on Mondays, though other languages can be heard, including Moor.