Koulikoro Region

Koulikoro Region is a region in western Mali and the second administrative area of the country, covering 43,290 square kilometres. Its capital city is Koulikoro. It is bordered by the regions of Nara and Nioro on the north, Kita on the west, Guinea and the Sikasso region on the south, and Ségou, Bougouni and Dioïla to the east. In 2023 it had 2,224,418 inhabitants, mainly Bambara, Malinké, Soninke and Somono people around the Niger River. Several rivers irrigate it, including the Niger, Baoulé, Sankarani, Baogé, Bani and Bafing; the south has the heavy rainfall typical of the Sudan, while the area north of the Kita-Bamako axis tends toward Sahelian aridity. The largest cities are Kati, Koulikoro, Kolokani and Banamba, and the Boucle du Baoulé National Park and several nature reserves shelter its wildlife. The region was the seat of the Ghana, Sosso and Mali empires, is the heartland of the Bambara people and is famous for its traditional puppet theatre.