A Cercle is the second level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capitol district (Bamako). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 50 Cercles.
During French colonial rule in Mali, a Cercle was the smallest unit of French political administration that was headed by a European officer. A cercle consisted of several cantons, each of which in turn consisted of several villages. In 1887 the Cercle of Bafoulabé was the first Cercle to be created in Mali. In most of former French West Africa, the term Cercle was changed to Prefecture or Department after independence.
Some Cercles (and the district) were, prior to the 1999 local government reorganisation, further divided into Arrondissements, especially in urban areas or the vast northern regions (such as Kidal), which consisted of a collection of Communes. Since these reforms, Cercles are now directly subdivided into rural and urban communes, which in turn are divided in Quartiers (Quarters, or Villages and encampments in rural areas) which have elected councils at each level.1 There are 703 Communes, 19 Urban Communes and 684 Rural Communes. The cercles are listed below, by region:
See also
References
Colonial usage
- Benton, Lauren: Colonial Law and Cultural Difference: Jurisdictional Politics and the Formation of the Colonial State in Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Jul., 1999)
- Crowder, Michael: West Africa Under Colonial Rule Northwestern Univ. Press (1968) ASIN: B000NUU584
- Crowder, Michael: Indirect Rule: French and British Style Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul., 1964)
- Mortimer, Edward France and the Africans, 1944-1960, A Political History (1970)
- Jean Suret-Canele. French Colonialism in Tropical Africa 1900-1945. Trans. Pica Press (1971)
 Cercles of Mali by region |
|
|
|
|
