Dioïla Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region

Koulikoro Region

Koulikoro is a region in Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km². Its capital is the city of Koulikoro.- Geography :...

 of Mali

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...

. Its seat is the town of Dioïla. It lies at the southeast corner of the region, and prior to 1977, it was combined with what is now Kati Cercle

Kati Cercle

Kati Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Kati, which is also its largest town. It lies at the southwest corner of the region, and completely surrounds the Bamako Capital District...

 and the District of 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...

  in the "Bamako Cercle", with the capital city as its seat.

The Dioïla Cercle is divided into 23 communes

Communes of Mali

A Commune is the third 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...

:

• Banco
  Banko, Mali
  Banko is a rural commune and village in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The village sits on the Banifing River. The commune contains 31 villages....
  
  
• Benkadi
  Benkadi, Koulikoro
  Benkadi is a rural commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The main village is Kotoula....
  
  
• Binko
  Binko, Koulikoro
  Binko is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The main village is Tingolé....
  
  
• Dégnékoro
  Degnekoro
  Dégnékoro is a rural commune and village in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali....
  
  
• Diébé
  Diebé
  Diebé is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 5958....
  
  
• Diédougou
• Diouman
  Diouman
  Diouman or Dioumanzana is a village and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali....
  
  
• Dolendougou
  Dolendougou
  Dolendougou is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The main village is Dandougou.-External links:. This document gives 314 km2 as the area of the commune....
  
  
• Guégnéka
  Guegneka
  Guegneka is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Fana. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 25631....
  
  
• Jékafo
  Jèkafo
  Jèkafo is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 5,138.Radio Jèkafo operates in the area.-External links:*...
  
  
• Kaladougou
  Kaladougou
  Kaladougou is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Dioïla. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 22,949....
  
  
• Kémékafo
  Kemekafo
  Kemekafo is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Senou. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 16,970....
  
  

• Kéréla
• Kilidougou
  Kilidougou
  Kilidougou is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at N'Tobougou. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 10,856.-History:...
  
  
• Massigui
  Massigui
  Massigui is a town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 45,120....
  
  
• N'Dlondougou
  N'Dolondougou
  N'Dolondougou is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Mena. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 14,756....
  
  
• N'Garadougou
  N'Garadougou
  N'Garadougou or N'Gara is a town and commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 9,422....
  
  
• N'Golobougou
  N'Golobougou
  N'Golobougou is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 14,880.-External links:*...
  
  
• Nangola
  Nangola
  Nangola is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 12,642....
  
  
• Niantjila
  Niantjila
  Niantjila is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 12,845.-External links:*...
  
  
• Ténindougou
  Tenindougou
  Tenindougou is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Falako. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 14,756....
  
  
• Wacoro
  Wacoro
  Wacoro is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of southern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 9706.-External links:*...
  
  
• Zan Coulibaly
  Zan Coulibaly
  Zan Coulibaly is a commune in the Cercle of Dioïla in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Marka Coungo. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 10037.The commune is known for its cotton industry.-References:...
  
  

Dioïla Cercle is home to primarily Bambara farmers, and formed part of the pre-colonial Bambara Empire

Bambara Empire

The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...

. Because of this, and its rural character, Animism

Animism

Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....

 persisted in this area well into the 20th century. There are also populations of Muslim Maraka, Fula

Fula people

Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...

, and Bozo

Bozo

Bozo or bozo may refer to:*The Bozo people, a fishing people of the central Niger delta in Mali*The Bozo languages, languages of the Bozo people*Bozo the Clown, a clown character very popular in the United States...

 fishing communities. The Cercle falls largely south of the dryer Sahel

Sahel

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....

 land, in the wetter Sudan

Sudan (region)

The Sudan is the name given to a geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western to Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilâd as-sûdân or "land of the Blacks"...

. It is also home to the headwaters of the Bani River

Bani River

The Bani River is the principal tributary of the Niger River in Mali. Its length is about 1100 km. The Bani is formed from the confluence of the Baoulé and Bagoé rivers some 160 km east of Bamako and merges with the Niger near Mopti.-Geography:...

.