Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, on the banks of the Niger River in the country's southwestern corner. In the Bambara language Bamako means crocodile river. The settlement first grew prominent as a center of Islamic learning during the Mali Empire between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries; its own founding kafu is usually dated to around 1650, credited to the Niare family. France made Bamako the capital of the colony of French Sudan in 1908, four years after a rail link to Kayes opened, and the city remained the capital when Mali declared independence in 1960. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Population2022 figure. Area (sq km) Founding Year Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Learn More
The City the River Named
This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.
Bamako carries its geography in its own name. In Bambara the word means crocodile river, a description of the site the Niger River gave the settlement long before any government made it a capital. The Niger has shaped the city ever since, from the trade and travel the river carried past its banks to the growth of the modern capital that now spans both sides of it.
A Colonial Capital That Stayed
This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.
Not every capital city a colonial power chose kept the job after independence. Bamako did. France made it the seat of French Sudan in 1908, four years after a rail line reached it from Kayes and gave the interior a link to the coast, and when French Sudan became the independent Republic of Mali in 1960, Bamako simply continued as capital of the new state rather than ceding the role to an older or more traditionally prestigious center such as Timbuktu or Segou. Its continued growth since, from a colonial administrative post to a city of over four million people by the 2022 census, has as much to do with that continuity as with the river that gave it its name.
FAQs
How do people cross the Niger River in Bamako?
Two main bridges, a seasonal causeway at Sotuba and a third bridge built in 2011.
Bamako first grew on the northern side of the Niger River, and bridges were added as it expanded so that the north bank could be linked with the south. The first of these were the Pont des Martyrs and the King Fahd Bridge, and a seasonal causeway at Sotuba, inherited from colonial times, also crosses the river in the eastern neighborhoods. That causeway is typically under water from July to January. A third bridge, built at the same location in 2011 in partnership with the Chinese government, was meant to reduce downtown congestion, notably by trucks.
Connections
Associated With
This source names Bamako directly: "The Wikipedia article on Bamako, consulted for its population figures, its site on the Niger River, and its Bambara language name meaning."
Source Bamako (Wikipedia)
Mali, Countries Bamako is Mali's capital.
Source Bamako (Wikipedia)
Source Bamako (Wikipedia)
Source Niger River (Wikipedia)
Capital Of
Bamako is the capital of Mali.
Source Bamako (Wikipedia)
Long-Form Articles
In the Other Atlases
Origin Of
Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.
Site Of
Also in Law Atlas: which is located in this subject.
Source Presentation generale de la Cour constitutionnelle du Mali, secretariat generalCover page, address of the Constitutional CourtQuote, Cover page, address of the Constitutional Court
ADRESSE : HAMDALLAYE ACI 2000 / BP : E 213 BAMAKO MALI / Site Web :
Also in Law Atlas: which is located in this subject.
Source Mali Cour supreme, member page of the Association des Hautes Juridictions de Cassation des pays ayant en partage l{ap}usage du FrancaisHistory, seat fixed at BamakoQuote, History, seat fixed at Bamako
Le siège de la Cour suprême est fixé à Bamako.titution.
Sources
1. Bamako (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
with a 2022 population of 4,227,569
Infobox
245.0 km2 (94.6 sq mi)
Lead section
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali with a 2022 population of 4,227,569.
Infobox, Elevation
350 m (1,150 ft)
Infobox, coordinates
12°38′21″N 08°00′10″W / 12.63917°N 8.00278°W
Wikipedia: Bamako, History section
The kafu of Bamako was founded around 1650 by the Niare family, perhaps associated with a Soninke man named Bamba Sanogo.
- Associated With: Mali
Capital Of: Mali, Lead section, capital fact
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali with a 2022 population of 4,227,569.
- In Group: Cities of Western Africa (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
View the Source Wikidata: Bamako
Niger River (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Niger River, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Niger River, Lead section
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, on the banks of the Niger River
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