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23-558: The Ségou Region is characterized by a semi-arid climate and irrigated by two important waterways: the Niger and the Bani River , allowing irrigation for agriculture . Ségou has two seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season starts in June and lasts about four months until September. On the other hand, the dry season includes a cold period and a period of heat. The average yearly rainfall

46-454: A mosque , Coulibaly's tomb and an ancient tree. In the city center, the main landmark is the water tower . The main economic activities of the Ségou region are agri-business, cattle farming and fishing. The Ségou people apply essential traditional farming methods. Ségou produces the major part of Mali 's national food, including sedentary cattle farming. The economy is essentially informal as it

69-514: A distinct ethnic group but a mixture of the Bambara, Bozo and Soninke. The Malinké, Maninka, and Mandinka are closely related to Bambaras. They have the same costumes, beliefs and religious practices as the Bambaras. The Marka , Saracollé and Soninke are merchants and warriors. Today, Ségou is known for its pottery , market and fishing industry. Attractions in the old town of Ségou-Koro included

92-407: A reservoir with a capacity to retain 0.18 km (0.043 cu mi) of water. This volume represents 1.3% of the average annual discharge of the river (over the period 1952-2002 the average discharge was 13.4 km (3.2 cu mi) . A downstream flow of 10 m (350 cu ft)/s can be maintained during the dry season by opening a sluice gate. From the published information it

115-469: A weir in that water can flow over the top of the retaining wall. The construction of the dam was highly controversial. The environmental impact assessment commissioned by the African Development Bank was criticised for not fully taking into account the hydrological impact downstream of the dam. The retaining wall is 5 m (16 ft) high and 295 m (968 ft) in length, creating

138-503: A year while the northern area around Douna receiving only 700 mm (28 in). For the period 1965-1995 the average annual rainfall for the basin was 1,100 mm (43 in). The rainfall is seasonal with most of the rain falling between May and October. The maximum rainfall occurs in August. The discharge of the Bani River is also highly seasonal, with the maximum flow occurring at

161-504: Is about 513 mm (20 in). The harmattan is the dominant wind in the dry season and it blows from north to south. The monsoon blowing from south to north-west is more frequent during the rainy season ( hivernage ). With a rural population that is largely nomadic semi-sedentary or sedentary, the population consists of many ethnic groups such as the Bambara , Bozo, Soninke , Malinké and Toucouleur . Bambaras are mostly farmers and are

184-550: Is divided into 7 cercles encompassing 118 communes and 2,166 villages: The major towns are Ségou , San , Niono , Dioro , and Markala , the latter of which has Mali's principal hydroelectric dam. The region was the home of the Bambara Empire in the early 18th century. It was conquered by the Toucouleur Empire in the 1860s and by France in the 1890s. Bani River Bani River at Douna The Bani River

207-568: Is one element in a 6-year 66 million USD program that also includes the building of a dam on the Sankarani River near Kourouba and the extension of the area irrigated by the Talo dam. The proposed Djenné dam will retain 0.3 km (0.072 cu mi) of water, significantly more than the Talo dam. It will allow the "controlled flooding" of 14,000 ha of the Pondori floodplain (on the left bank of

230-511: Is oriented towards the population's primary needs, while industrial production is weak and based in the food industry. Large scale agribusiness consists of three factories, COMATEX, CMDT and SUKALA. Commerce consists mostly of the small scale exchange and sale by of products from the primary sector, sold weekly at the large Ségou market, drawing customers from far outside of the city. The main products sold are vegetables, pottery, cotton, gold, leather, fruits, ovens, cattle and cereals. Ségou Region

253-607: Is produced in the region around the town, making it a center for processing and transport. The Bougouni-Foulaboula Protected Forest (Forêt Classée de Bougouni-Foulaboula) begins just to the southwest of the town. Bougouni has been a sister city of Aurillac , France, since 1985. The Cercle of Bougouni includes the communes of Bladié-Tiemela, Bougouni, Chantoula, Danou, Debelin, Defina, Dogo, Domba, Faradielé, Faragouaran, Garolo, Keleya, Kokelé, Kola, Koumantou , Kouroulamini, Meridiela, Ouroun, Sanso, Sibirila, Sido, Tiémala-Banimonotié, Wola, Yinindougou, Yiridougou and Zantiebougou, for

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276-654: Is the principal tributary of the Niger River in Mali . The river is formed from the confluence of the Baoulé and Bagoé rivers some 160 km (99 mi) east of Bamako and it merges with the Niger near Mopti . Its length is about 1,100 km (680 mi). The Bani River has three main tributaries: the Baoulé that rises near Odienné in Côte d'Ivoire and passes just south of Bougouni ,

299-562: Is unclear how much of the total discharge will be diverted for irrigation and, of the diverted water, how much will drain back into the river. The downstream effect of the dam will be to delay the arrival of the annual flood and to reduce its intensity. In May 2009 the African Development Bank approved funding for an irrigation dam/weir to be built on the Bani near Soala, a village situated 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Djenné. The dam

322-584: The Bagoé River that rises near Boundiali in Côte d'Ivoire and the Banifing-Lotio that drains the region around Sikasso . The drainage basin upstream of Douna has an area of 102,000 km (39,000 sq mi), 85% of which lies in southern Mali and 15% in northern Côte d'Ivoire. The annual rainfall varies across the catchment basin with the southern area in Côte d'Ivoire receiving 1,500 mm (59 in)

345-503: The 1950s and 1960s. In 2006 the Talo Dam was constructed to irrigate parts of the floodplain to the south of the river near the town of San . Prior to the construction of the dam, these areas were only fully flooded in very wet years, the most recent of which occurred in 1967. The dam is located 43 km (27 mi) west of San, 66 km (41 mi) downstream of Douna and 110 km (68 mi) upstream of Djenné . The dam acts as

368-513: The administrative region of Sikasso . Bougouni is located 170 km south of Bamako and 210 km west of the city of Sikasso. It covers an area of 7 square kilometres and as at the 2009 Census the commune had a population of 59,679, mostly Fulas ( Fula : Fulɓe ; French : Peuls ) and Bambaras ( Bambara : Bamananw ). Bougouni was established as a quarantine area for surrounding villages, but gradually developed independently. The name means 'small house' in Bambara . Bougouni

391-419: The beginning of the 1970s led to a very large reduction in the flow and up to the present time the volumes are still much lower than those observed in the 1950s and 1960s. The reduction in the flow of the river was much greater than the reduction in the rainfall. The average rainfall for 1981-1989 was 20% less than for 1961-1970 while the discharge of the river was reduced by 75%. The effect of the reduced rainfall

414-510: The end of September and very little flow between February and June. The river enters the Inland Niger Delta north of San and after the annual rains the river floods (the French word crue is sometimes used) and covers the floodplain. There is a significant inter-annual variation in the rainfall and, as a consequence, in the quantity of water flowing in the river. The drought that started at

437-423: The most numerous ethnic group. Their language is Bambara or Djoula . The Bozos are the second most populous ethnic group. They live in the borders of Niger, in small towns constituted of small houses. The Bozos economy is based on fishing. Bozo people have a monopoly on the transport system because of their knowledge in the river by Niger, and are regarded as the masters of water. The Somono , also fishermen, are not

460-414: The period 1952-2002 the average flow at Douna was 424 m (15,000 cu ft)/s compared with 1,280 m (45,000 cu ft)/s for the Niger at Koulikoro . 14°29′N 4°12′W  /  14.483°N 4.200°W  / 14.483; -4.200 Bougouni Bougouni is a commune and city in Mali , the administrative center of Bougouni Cercle , which is in turn found in

483-512: The river to the south of Djenné) to allow the cultivation of rice and the irrigation of an additional 5000 ha for growing 'floating grass' ( Echinochloa stagnina know locally as bourgou ) for animal feed. The effects of the dams on the flooding of the Inland Niger Delta downstream of Mopti are expected to be modest, as the discharge of the Bani is only one third of that of the Niger: for

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506-511: Was less extreme for other tributaries of the Niger. Over the same period the catchment basin of the Upper Niger suffered a similar 20% reduction in rainfall but the readings at the Koulikoro gauge station were only reduced to 50% of the earlier values. Because of the accumulated groundwater deficit, even in a year with high rainfall, the discharge of the Bani River is less than in the wet decades of

529-559: Was the fourteenth commune created by the French colonial authorities of French Sudan . On July 10, 1894, Bougouni became the administrative center of the commune under its first administrator, Lieutenant Gouraud. Bougouni held an important set of colonial archives which were lost in a fire during the March 1991 uprising against President Moussa Traoré . Bougouni, like many cities of Mali , enjoys sufficient rainfall for regular farming. Cotton

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