Communes of Mali
Encyclopedia
A Commune is the third level administrative unit in Mali
. Mali is divided into eight regions
and one capital district (Bamako
). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles
. The Cercles and the district are divided into 703 Communes, with 36 Urban Communes and 667 Rural Communes, while some larger Cercles still contain Arrondissements
above the Commune level, there are organisational with no independent power or office. Rural Communes are subdivided in Villages, while Urban Communes are subdivided into Quartier (wards or quarters). Communes usually bear the name of their principal town. The capital, Bamako
, consists of six Urban Communes. There were initially 701 communes until the Law No. 001-041 of 7 June 2005 created two new Rural Communes in the desert region in the north east of the country: Alata, Ménaka Cercle
in the Gao Region
and Intadjedite
, Tin-Essako Cercle
in the Kidal Region
.
Not every built up area (which might be described as a town) is a Commune, and not every Commune (especially Rural Communes) contains a large town. In most cases where towns and Communes coincide, Commune borders extend beyond built up areas and are, like the Communes of France
on which they were based during the colonial period, an administrative structure. Unlike French Communes, they are not the lowest level administrative structure of the nation.
Legally, the Commune structure was created by Law no 96- 059/AN- RM of 4 November 1996. The communes generally retain the same boundaries as the former arrondissements
. Commune affairs are directed by a Commune Council (conseil communal) of elected members and a Commune executive (bureau communal) of the elected Mayor and three adjutants. The executive is tasked with carrying out the directives voted by the Council. National policies are carried out by a Sub-Prefect (sous préfet), who also carries out certain of the Council's directives over the local arms or national bodies.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. Mali is divided into eight regions
Regions of Mali
||Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district. Each of the regions bears the name of its principal city. The regions are divided into 49 cercles. The cercles and the capital district are divided into 703 communes....
and one capital district (Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles
Cercles of Mali
A cercle is the second level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district . These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 cercles....
. The Cercles and the district are divided into 703 Communes, with 36 Urban Communes and 667 Rural Communes, while some larger Cercles still contain Arrondissements
Arrondissements of Mali
||The cercles of Mali are divided into arrondissements. These are further divided into 703 communes, 19 urban communes and 684 rural communes. Unlike Communes or Cercles, Arrondissements have no administrative power or elected officials: they are merely territorial divisions or used to divide...
above the Commune level, there are organisational with no independent power or office. Rural Communes are subdivided in Villages, while Urban Communes are subdivided into Quartier (wards or quarters). Communes usually bear the name of their principal town. The capital, Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
, consists of six Urban Communes. There were initially 701 communes until the Law No. 001-041 of 7 June 2005 created two new Rural Communes in the desert region in the north east of the country: Alata, Ménaka Cercle
Menaka Cercle
Ménaka Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of Mali. Its administrative center is the town of Ménaka. Ménaka Cercle's population as of 2009 was 56,104 people. Ménaka Cercle is a rural, isolated, and largely desert area, crisscrossed by seasonal wadis, part of an ancient dry...
in the Gao Region
Gao Region
The Gao Region is located in eastern Mali. The region's capital city is Gao. Gao Region is bordered to the south and east by Niger, to the north by Kidal Region, and to the west by Tombouctou Region. Common ethnicities in the Gao Region include the Songhai, Bozo, Tuareg, Bambara, and Kounta...
and Intadjedite
Intadjedite
Intadjedite is a rural commune in the Tin-Essako Cercle in Mali's north-eastern Kidal Region. The commune of Intadjedite as well as the neighbouring commune of Alata were created by law 001–041 dated 7 June 2005.-References:...
, Tin-Essako Cercle
Tin-Essako Cercle
Tin-Essako Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative center is at the village of Tin-Essako. As of 2009 the cercle had a population of 7,976 people...
in the Kidal Region
Kidal Region
Kidal is the eighth administrative region of Mali, covering 151,430 km². Its capital is the city of Kidal.-Geography:The region is bordered on the west by Tomboctou Region, to the south by Gao Region, to the east by Niger and to the north by Algeria....
.
Not every built up area (which might be described as a town) is a Commune, and not every Commune (especially Rural Communes) contains a large town. In most cases where towns and Communes coincide, Commune borders extend beyond built up areas and are, like the Communes of France
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
on which they were based during the colonial period, an administrative structure. Unlike French Communes, they are not the lowest level administrative structure of the nation.
Legally, the Commune structure was created by Law no 96- 059/AN- RM of 4 November 1996. The communes generally retain the same boundaries as the former arrondissements
Arrondissements of Mali
||The cercles of Mali are divided into arrondissements. These are further divided into 703 communes, 19 urban communes and 684 rural communes. Unlike Communes or Cercles, Arrondissements have no administrative power or elected officials: they are merely territorial divisions or used to divide...
. Commune affairs are directed by a Commune Council (conseil communal) of elected members and a Commune executive (bureau communal) of the elected Mayor and three adjutants. The executive is tasked with carrying out the directives voted by the Council. National policies are carried out by a Sub-Prefect (sous préfet), who also carries out certain of the Council's directives over the local arms or national bodies.
External links
- Statsoid.com : Mali
- MATCL - MINISTERE DE L'ADMINISTRATION TERRITORIALE ET DES COLLECTIVITES LOCALES: Government of the Republic of Mali.
- Maplibrary: vector maps of national subdivisions of Mali.
- La Délégation Générale aux Elections, Government of Mali: database of all registered electors in Mali (2007), includes a hierarchical list of every Cercle, Commune, and Quarter in the nation.
- CARTE ÉLECTORALE GÉNÉRALE DU MALI, La Délégation Générale aux Elections, Republique du Mali. Listing of every Cercle in Mali, with subpages showing each Commune and a list of polling place (villages, quartiers) for each commune. As of 2007 elections.