Since 2016, Mali has been divided into ten regions and one capital district. A reorganization of the country from eight to nineteen regions was passed into law in 2012,[1] but of the new regions, only Taoudénit (partitioned from Tombouctou Region) and Ménaka (formerly Ménaka Cercle in Gao Region) have begun to be implemented.[2][3] Each of the regions bears the name of its capital. The regions are divided into 56 cercles. The cercles and the capital district are divided into 703 communes.[4]

In 2023, Mali has added nine new regions to its administrative structure, bringing the total to 19 regions plus the district of Bamako. This reorganization aims to improve governance and bring public services closer to local populations. This initiative continues the decentralization efforts that began with the creation of the Taoudénit and Ménaka regions in 2016. The nineteen regions in turn are subdivided into 159 cercles and 815 communes.

Demographics

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The most populated region is Sikasso with 2.648 million people, and the least most populated is Kidal with just 38 thousand people.

Geography

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Though five regions are composed of mainly desert, they also have half the country's land mass. The largest region is Taoudénit and the smallest is Ségou, excluding Bamako.

Regions

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The regions are numbered, originally west to east, with Roman numerals.[5] The capital Bamako is administered separately and is in its own district. The ten regions and the Bamako District are listed below. The population figures are from the 1998 and 2009 censuses.[6]

 
Regions of Mali since 2023
Region name Region number Area (km2) Population
Census 1998
Population
Census 2009
Population

Estimate 2020

Bamako - Capital District 00 252 1,016,296 1,810,366 2,643,130
Kayes 01 119,743 1,374,316 1,993,615 2,910,680
Koulikoro 02 95,848 1,570,507 2,422,108 3,536,280
Sikasso 03 70,280 1,782,157 2,643,179 3,859,040
Ségou 04 64,821 1,675,357 2,338,349 3,413,990
Mopti 05 79,017 1,484,601 2,036,209 2,972,870
Tombouctou 06 56,435 442,619 674,793 985,200
Gao 07 89,532 341,542 542,304 791,760
Kidal 08 151,430 38,774 67,739 98,900
Taoudénit 09 440,176 18,160
Ménaka 10 81,040 54,456 79,510
Bougouni 11 41,052
Dioila 12 12,984
Nioro 13 24,179
Koutiala 14 14,739
Kita 15 44,175
Nara 16 26,213
Bandiagara 17 25,709
San 18 15,516
Douentza 19 63,515

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "LOI No 2012-017 DU 02 MARS 2012 PORTANT CREATION DE CIRCONSCRIPTIONS ADMINISTRATIVES EN REPUBLIQUE DU MALI" (PDF). Journal officiel de la République du Mali. 2 March 2012. p. 364. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Régionalisation: Deux Nouvelles régions créées au Mali". Malijet. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali" (PDF). MINUSMA. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  4. ^ Loi N°99-035/ Du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Creation des Collectivites Territoriales de Cercles et de Regions (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l'Administration Territoriales et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali, 1999, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-09.
  5. ^ Évaluation de la coopération décentralisée franco-malienne La coopération décentralisée franco-malienne, état des lieux, Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
  6. ^ Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique.