Bamako

According to legend, one of the first settlements arose thanks to a hunter named Bamba and accordingly received the name "Bama ko", that is, the "Bamba River". According to another version, the name of the city goes back to the word "Bama", which in the Bambara language means "crocodile". In accordance with this theory, "Bamako" is translated as "river of crocodiles." This theory is considered the main one, in connection with which three crocodiles are depicted on the Bamako coat of arms.

Bamako is characterized by a climate typical of the south of the Sahel. It has the features of subequatorial, but it is characterized as tropical and very hot, average temperatures do not fall below 25 ° C throughout the year. The hottest months are March, April and May, when the average maximum reaches 38-39 ° С. The coolest months are November, December and February. The average annual rainfall is 880 mm, almost all of them fall from May to October. The period from December to February is characterized by a complete lack of precipitation.

Human settlements on this site existed in the Paleolithic era, however, the appearance of the city dates back to the XVII century .

The city of Bamako is built on a well-irrigated hilly surface covered with forest, which delivered the first settlers excellent building material (in particular rubber and dyeing trees) ^[2]

At the end of the 19th century, the inhabitants for the most part cultivated millet and maize , were engaged in leather crafts , fabrics and fishing . Some of them are blacks (sarrokols), the other is of Moorish origin. The latter are Muslims who were previously engaged in the slave trade.

In 1882, Borney-Debord forced the inhabitants of Bamako to recognize the protectorate of France and built a fort. Bamaku's trade turnover in 1884 reached 5 million francs.

The city has been experiencing a population explosion for a long time: 2.5 thousand inhabitants in 1884; 8 thousand in 1908; 37 thousand in 1945; about 100 thousand in 1960 (the year of independence of Mali ). Since that time, the city continues to attract the rural population, seeking there in search of work. Such an uncontrolled population growth provokes serious problems with urban ecology, sewers, traffic jams, access to drinking water, etc.

Located a thousand kilometers from Dakar and Abidjan or 400 km from the border with Guinea , in recent years Bamako has become a crossroads of West Africa . The city is inhabited by diverse ethnic groups both from Mali itself and from neighboring states.

Administratively, the city is divided into 6 communes:

The Dakar-Bamako railway line connects the city with the capital of Senegal through the city of Kayes in western Mali. There is a road connection with major cities of the country, such as Kulikoro , Kati, Segu , Sicasso and others.

Bamako-Sénou International Airport is located 15 km from the city and was opened in 1974. According to the government, in 2005 the airport traffic amounted to 516,000 people. The Niger River is also of great transport importance. The city is located on both banks of the river, which are connected by three bridges (the first was built in 1960, the second in 1992, the third in 2011).

•   Rochester , USA (since 1975)
•   Angers , France (since 1974)
•   Dakar , Senegal (since 1974/75)
•   Bobo Dioulasso , Burkina Faso (c 1994)
•   Leipzig , Germany (since 1966)
•   Ashgabat , Turkmenistan (since 1974)
•   Sao paulo brazil
•   Banjul , The Gambia

Cooperation agreements were also signed with the French cities of Lyon , Marseille and Bordeaux , as well as with the capital of Burkina Faso , Ouagadougou .

• Bamak Cathedral Mosque
• National Library of Mali

• Official website of the city (French)