Kayes Region | |
|---|---|
 Sahel forest | |
 Location within Mali | |
 Interactive map of Kayes Region in Mali | |
| Coordinates:14°6′54″N10°34′7″W / 14.11500°N 10.56861°W /14.11500; -10.56861 | |
| Country |  Mali |
| Capital | Kayes |
| Area | |
• Total | 119,743 km2 (46,233 sq mi) |
| Population (2009 census)[1] | |
• Total | 1,996,812 |
| • Density | 17/km2 (43/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (UTC) |
| HDI (2017) | 0.387[2] low |
Kayes Region (Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kayi Dineja,Arabic:منطقة كايس,romanized: minṭaqa Kāyas) is one of ten first level national subdivisions inMali calledRegions. It is the first administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 120,760 square kilometres or 46,630 square miles. Its capital is the town ofKayes. The province was historically part of theGhana Empire and theMali Empire.
The region of Kayes is bordered to the north byMauritania, to the west bySenegal, to the south byGuinea and to the east by the region ofKoulikoro.
In 2009 the region has a population of 1,996,812 inhabitants. Ethnic groups of the area includeSoninkés,Khassonkés,Malinkés,Dialonkés, andFulas (French:Peuls;Fula:Fulɓe).
Several rivers cross the region: theBaoulé, theBafing, and theBakoy which join at the town ofBafoulabé to form theSénégal River. TheFalls of Félou (15 km from Kayes), theFalls of Gouina (60 km to the south-east of Kayes on the Sénégal River),Talari Gorges,Lake Magui andLake Doro are located in the region.
At the Guinean border, the climate is rather wet, but becomesSudanian and laterSahelian to the north.
The largest cities in the region areKayes,Kita,Bafoulabé,Nioro du Sahel,Diéma,Yélimané, Diangounté,Sadiola, andKéniéba TheBafing National Park and theBoucle du Baoulé National Park are located in the region.
For administrative purposes the Region of Kayes is divided into sevencercles:[3]
| Cercle name | Area (km2) | Population Census 1998 | Population Census 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kayes | 22,190 | 327,891 | 513,362 |
| Bafoulabé | 20,220 | 168,731 | 233,926 |
| Kéniéba | 12,883 | 144,971 | 194,153 |
| Kita | 35,250 | 303,647 | 434,379 |
| Diéma | 12,440 | 141,905 | 212,062 |
| Nioro | 11,060 | 165,708 | 230,488 |
| Yélimané | 5,700 | 121,463 | 178,442 |
The region of Kayes is the cradle of the Kingdom ofKhasso founded at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1855,Louis Faidherbe, Governor of Senegal, built a fort atMedina which would be besieged byEl Hadj Omar Tall, in an 1857 war against the sovereign of Khasso. In 1892, the town ofKayes became the capital ofFrench Sudan.
The construction of therailway line of Dakar-Niger, inaugurated in 1904, made of Kayes a city-crossroads. Essential at the time, the railroad had an important place in the lives of the inhabitants, as described inOusmane Sembène's novelGod's Bits of Wood.
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