Kayes

Kayes is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River and the capital of the Kayes Region, about 420 kilometres northwest of Bamako. The 2009 census counted 127,368 residents. The name comes from the Soninke language, and the area was historically part of the Soninke states of Diarra and Gajaaga. Kayes itself was founded in the second half of the 19th century by a prince of Khasso, and in 1881 the French chose it as the site of a fort and barracks, the headquarters of the colonial presence in the central Sudan. It was the furthest point on the Senegal River that boats could reach, so the railway toward Bafoulabé, later extended to Bamako and Thiès, began here, and in 1892 the town became the capital of French Sudan until Bamako replaced it. Kayes lies on the Route Nationale 1 highway, has an international airport and sits in an area rich in gold and iron. It is nicknamed the pressure cooker of Africa for its extreme heat, and it has a hot semi-arid climate.