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Sikasso Cercle
Sikasso Cercle is one of seven administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The capital is the town of Sikasso.
The cercle is divided into the urban commune of Sikasso and 42 rural communes:
Cities and populated places
References
Sikasso
Sikasso is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census.
Geography
Located 375 kilometres (233 mi) southeast of Bamako, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Côte d'Ivoire, and 45 kilometres (28 mi) west of Burkina Faso, Sikasso acts as a crossroads between the coastal countries (Togo, Bénin, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire) and the landlocked Mali and Burkina Faso. Sikasso's ethnic groups include the Bamana, the Senufo (mainly the Supyire), the Bobo (or Bobo Fing, lit. 'black Bobo'), and the Minianka (Mamara Senufo).
Sikasso has abundant agriculture. Sikasso's fruit and vegetable production guarantees the city's self-sufficiency, sparing it from reliance on international food aid.
History
Sikasso was founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Mansa Douala. The town was a small village until 1876 when Tieba Traoré, whose mother came from Sikasso, became King of the Kénédougou Empire and moved its capital there. He established his palace on the sacred Mamelon hill (now home to a water tower) and constructed a tata or fortifying wall to defend against the attacks of both the Dyula conqueror Samori Ture and the French colonial army. The city withstood a long siege from 1887 to 1888 but fell to the French in 1898; rather than surrender to the colonial army, Tieba's brother Babemba Traoré, who had succeeded him as king, committed suicide, honoring the famous Bamanankan saying "Saya ka fisa ni maloya ye" (literally: death is preferable to shame).
Sikasso Region
Sikasso Region is the southern-most region of Mali. The region's capital city, Sikasso, is the country's second-largest city and is growing rapidly due to people fleeing the violence in Côte d'Ivoire to the south. Major ethnic groups include the Senoufo, known for masks and reverence for animals, the Samago, known for being Mali's best farmers, and the main ethnic group in Mali, the Bambara people. The local economy is based on farming and the Sikasso, which receives more rain than any other Malian region, is known for its fruits and vegetables.
Administrative divisions
Sikasso Region is divided into seven cercles:
The city of Sikasso is known for a vibrant outdoor market which features fabrics, numerous vegetables and fruits (especially mangoes, for which Sikasso is particularly renowned.) Sikasso is an ethnic and linguistic melting pot featuring people from outlying villages, immigrants from Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and refugees.
The southwest corner of the Sikasso region is traditionally known as Wassoulou. This area is known for its unique music and strong tradition of hunting. The main city of Wassoulou is Yanfolila.
