Tombouctou Region
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Parts of this article (those related to the formation of the Taoudenit Region) need to be updated.(January 2016) |
Tombouctou Region | |
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UTC) | |
HDI (2017) | 0.309[3] low |
Tombouctou Region or Timbuktu Region (Bambara: ߕߎߡߎߕߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ, Tumutu Dineja) is one of the administrative regions of Mali. For administrative purposes, the region is subdivided into five cercles.
The region is part of northern Mali that was separated and declared independent by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) during the Tuareg rebellion of 2012. In the course of the conflict, the MNLA lost control of the territory to Islamist militias.
Tombouctou Region is world-famous for its capital, the ancient city Timbuktu (French: Tombouctou), synonymous to 19th-century Europeans with an elusive, hard-to-reach destination. The city gained fame in 1390 when its ruler, Mansa Musa, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stopping with his entourage in Egypt and dispensing enough gold to devalue the Egyptian currency. This started the legend of a city in the interior of Africa, where roads were said to be paved with gold and buildings topped with roofs of gold.[citation needed]
History
This section needs to be updated.(September 2014) |
The city is located at the southern edge of the Sahara, near the Niger River, which has headwaters in the highlands very near the Atlantic coast before its long 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) journey to the north east, before finally turning south to reach the Atlantic. The riches of the kingdom were due to Tombouctou's position as the southern terminus of the trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, kola nuts, copper and slaves.
Timbuktu's decline began with the capture of the city by
Cut off from major trade routes, the city retained an aura of spectacular treasure. When French explorers rediscovered the city in 1815 they were disappointed to find a sand-blown city of low mud buildings.
The region was marginalized under French colonial control, which ended in 1960. The French opened up shorter trade routes to the Atlantic, cutting into the trans-Sahara trading economy and people in the city.
In early 2012, the
Administrative subdivisions
The region is divided into five cercles:[4][5]
Cercle name | Area (km2) | Population Census 1998 |
Population Census 2009 |
---|---|---|---|
Niafunké | 12,000 | 119,900 | 184,285 |
Diré | 1,750 | 76,960 | 111,324 |
Goundam | 92,688 | 113,897 | 150,150 |
Tombouctou[6] | 347,488 | 68,228 | 124,546 |
Gourma-Rharous | 45,000 | 63,634 | 111,386 |
The larger parts of Timbuktu and Goundam cercles (323,326 km² with about 134,000 inhabitants) were separated in 2016 to form the new Taoudenit Region.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Synthèse des 108 Plans Communaux Sécurité Alimentaire de la Région de Tombouctou 2006-2010 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2006, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-19.
- ^ Regions of Mali, retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ Loi N°99-035/ du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Création des Collectivités Territoriales de Cercles et de Régions (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.
- ^ Communes de la Région de Tombouctou (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l’administration territoriale et des collectivités locales, République du Mali, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-09.
- ^ Figures for Tumbuktu Cercle before separation of the new Taoudenit Region
- ^ Mali : Taoudeni, contrée historique, 21.02.2017, Maliactu.net, accessed 5 November 2022
External links
- "Tombouctou, Mali : Image of the Day". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-11.