Kangaba Cercle
Encyclopedia
Kangaba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region
of Mali
. Its seat is the town and commune of Benkadi Habaladougou
(Kenieba), also known as Kangaba
. It lies at the southwest corner of the region, along the Guinean border, with the Niger River
forming its southern edge.
The Kangaba Cercle is the smallest cercle in the Koulikoro Region, both in surface area and population. It is divided into nine communes
.
as well as (first) the Ghana
and Mali Empire
s back to the 8th century.
It was the center of Kangaba Province of the Mali Empire, and for a period after 1559, was the capital of the empire. In 1599 it became the last center for Mansa Mahmud IV after his defeat at Djenné
, and a Kangaba city state survived after the empire's fall in 1610. Prior to the Mali Empire, the Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faama
s ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas. Sundiata Keita
began his revolt against the remnants of the Ghana Empire there, and it remained the heartland of the Mali state.
The town of Habaladougou Kenieba remains an important Malinké cultural center and home to their sacred Kamablo house, traditionally rebuilt every seven years.
climate region, and forms some of the best farmland in the nation, much devoted to tobacco
farming for export.
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 and commune of Benkadi Habaladougou
Benkadi Habaladougou
Benkadi Habaladougou is a commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Kéniéba. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 22,949....
(Kenieba), also known as Kangaba
Kangaba
Kangaba is a town and commune and seat of the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali.The area was once the Kangaba Province under the Mali Empire....
. It lies at the southwest corner of the region, along the Guinean border, with the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
forming its southern edge.
The Kangaba Cercle is the smallest cercle in the Koulikoro Region, both in surface area and population. It is divided into nine 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...
.
- Balan BakamaBalan BakamaBalan Bakama is a commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Namakama. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 4767.-References:...
- BenkadiBenkadi HabaladougouBenkadi Habaladougou is a commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Kéniéba. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 22,949....
- KaniogoKaniogoKaniogo is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 11415.Mamadore Traore being the first democratically elected mayor of Kaniogo in all of Mali.-References:...
- KaranKaranKaran is a small town in Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 9876. Sharn More, a Canadian singer, was born in Mali.Karan is as well the name of 18th son of Kaveh Ahangar, a famous story in Iranian poet book, Shahnameh. This book is an enormous poetic opus written by the Persian poet...
- Maramandougou
- MinidianKangabaKangaba is a town and commune and seat of the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali.The area was once the Kangaba Province under the Mali Empire....
- NarénaNarenaNarena is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 8275....
- NougaNougaNouga is a commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The principal town lies at Keliegoue. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 7736.-References:...
- SéléfougouSelefougouSelefougou is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Kangaba in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 4102....
History
Kangaba Cercle is home to primarily Bambara and Malinké farmers, and formed part of the precolonial Bambara EmpireBambara 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...
as well as (first) the Ghana
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire or Wagadou Empire was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania, and Western Mali. Complex societies had existed in the region since about 1500 BCE, and around Ghana's core region since about 300 CE...
and Mali Empire
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
s back to the 8th century.
It was the center of Kangaba Province of the Mali Empire, and for a period after 1559, was the capital of the empire. In 1599 it became the last center for Mansa Mahmud IV after his defeat at Djenné
Djenné
Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 32,944. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region....
, and a Kangaba city state survived after the empire's fall in 1610. Prior to the Mali Empire, the Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faama
Faama
Faama is a Mandinka word meaning "king". It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori Toure and non-Mandinka groups in the Kenedougou Empire.-See also:*Mali...
s ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas. Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita, Sundjata Keyita, Mari Djata I or just Sundiata was the founder of the Mali Empire and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people of West Africa in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata....
began his revolt against the remnants of the Ghana Empire there, and it remained the heartland of the Mali state.
The town of Habaladougou Kenieba remains an important Malinké cultural center and home to their sacred Kamablo house, traditionally rebuilt every seven years.
Economy
The Cercle falls in the more fertile SudanSudan (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"...
climate region, and forms some of the best farmland in the nation, much devoted to tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
farming for export.