Kayes (area)

The area of Kayes is the first administrative area of the Mali. It extends on 120.760 km ². Its capital is the town of Kayes.

Geography

The area of Kayes is limited to north by the Mauritania, in the west by the Senegal, in the south by the Guinea and in the east by the area of Koulikoro.

The population of the area was of 1.424.657 inhabitants in 1998. Various ethnos groups live in the area: Soninkés, Khassonkés, Malinkés, Moors and Peuls. Several rivers and rivers cross the area: The Baoulé (river), the Bafing and the Bakoy which meet with Bafoulabé to form the Senegal. In the area, are the Chutes of Félou (4 km of Kayes), the Chutes of Gouina (100 km in the south-east of Kayes on the Senegal river), the Lac Magui and the Lac of Doro.

At the Guinean border, the climate is rather wet. While going up towards north, one crosses a zone sudanienne then one arrives at a zone sahélienne. Kayes knows very high temperatures, making of it the hottest city of Africa.

The big cities of the area are Kayes, Nioro of the Sahel, Dièma, Yélimané, Sadiola, Bafoulabé, Kéniéba, Kita.

The National park of Bafing and the National park of the Boucle of Baoulé are in this area

Transport and economy

The line of Railroad of Dakar-Niger crosses the area while passing by Kayes, Bafoulabé and Kita before joining Kati and Bamako.

The area is served by the Aéroport of Kayes.

The area is very wedged. Opening-up at the road level is currently in hand in particular on the axis Kayes-Diéma-Nioro of the Sahel.

The area of Kayes is rich in minerals: however, diamond, iron, bauxite etc have Sadiola, mines the important ones of West Africa, one finds factories of extraction of gold.

The hydroelectric Stopping of Manantali, built on the Bafing, is managed by the Organization for the development of the river Senegal (OMVS).

The area of Kayes being the principal area of emigration towards France, the transfers of moneys of the emigrants constitute the most important source of revenue for the area.

History

The area of Kayes is the cradle of the Royaume of founded Khasso at the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1855, Faidherbe, Governor of Senegal, makes build a fort with Médine which will be besieged by El Hadj Oumar Tall, in war against the sovereign of Khasso in 1857.

In 1892, Kayes becomes the capital of High Senegal-Niger. The construction of the railway line of Dakar-Niger, inaugurated in 1904, makes of Kayes a city-crossroads. Consequently, the railroad takes an important place in the life of the inhabitants (It is described in the novel of Ousmane Sembène “the wood ends of God”).

Culture

The area of Kayes is regarded as the cradle of the Teinture to the Indigo.

Several languages are spoken in the area: the Bambara, the Khassonké, the Soninké and the Peul.

Administrative subdivisions

The area of Kayes is divided into 7 circles (Bafoulabé, Diéma, Kayes, Kéniéba, Kita, Nioro of the Sahel, Yélimané) gathering 129 communes.

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