Goundam Cercle is a second-level administrative subdivision ( cercle) of the

Tombouctou Region Tombouctou Region ( Bambara: ߕߎߡߎߕߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Tumutu Dineja) is one of the administrative regions of Mali. For administrative purposes, the region is subdivided into five cercles. The region is part of northern Mali that was sepa ...

in northern

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

. Its administrative center is the town of

Goundam Goundam is a commune and town in north central Mali, in the Tombouctou Region. It is the capital of Goundam Cercle, one of five subdivisions of the Region. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 16,253. The main ethnic groups are So ...

, although the most populous commune is

Tonka Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...

. In the 2009 census, the cercle had a population of 150,150. Although Goundam Cercle extends far into the north of Mali, the entire northern two thirds are covered by the inhospitable

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. In the south, seasonal lakes and rivers along the northern edge of the

Inner Niger Delta The Inner Niger Delta, also known as the Macina or Masina, is the inland delta of the Niger River. It is an area of fluvial wetlands, lakes and floodplains in the semi-arid Sahel area of central Mali, just south of the Sahara desert. Location ...

provide a meager living for the population, mostly occupied in

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal ...

, farming, and fishing. The population is

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

and

Maure A Moor's head, since the 11th century, is a symbol depicting the head of a black moor. Origin The precise origin of the Moor's head is a subject of controversy. But the most likely explanation is that it is derived from the heraldic war flag ...

nomads in the vast north, with settlements of

Fula people The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

Songhai people The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai)'' are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and ''lingua franca'' is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in ...

, and

Bozo people The Bozo are a Mande ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name ''Bozo'' is thought to derive from Bambara ''bo-so'' "straw house"; the people accept it as referring to the whole of the ethnic group but use more ...

in the far south of the cercle. Seasonal lakes in this area include

Lake Faguibine Lake Faguibine was a lake in Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert situated 80 km west of Timbuktu and 75 km north of the Niger River to which it is connected by a system of smaller lakes and channels. In years when the height o ...

Lac Télé Lake Tele (French Lac Télé) is a freshwater lake in Epena District, Republic of the Congo. Description Located at in the north-eastern area of the Republic of the Congo, Lake Tele was formed in Pliocene alluvial sediments by an unknown geologi ...

, Lac Fatil and Lac Oro. There is an airport at

, and a highway running towards

Mopti Mopti ( Bambara: ߡߏߕߌ tr. Moti) is a town and an urban commune in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali. The town is the capital of the Mopti Cercle and the Mopti Region. Situated 630 km northeast of Bamako, the town lies at the conflue ...

far to the southwest and east to the regional capital of

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

. During the Tuareg rebellion of 2012, the

government of Mali Until the military coup of March 22, 2012 and a second military coup in December 2012 the politics of Mali took place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Mali is head of state with a ...

lost control of the northern part of the country, which was declared independent from Mali altogether as part of the breakaway state of

Azawad Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ar, أزواد) was a short-lived unrecognised state from 2012 to 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg Berber name of all Tuareg Berber areas, especially the northern half of Mal ...

by the

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement (Tamasheq: '; ar, الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد ''al-Ḥarakat al-Waṭaniyat Litaḥrīr ʾĀzawād''; french: Mouvement nati ...

(MNLA) on 6 April 2012. The MNLA government was expelled from the region after June 2012, and the area continued under control of various militias and Islamist organizations. Goundam Cercle contains sixteen

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

:. *

Adarmalane Adarmalane also D'adarmalane is a rural commune of the Cercle of Goudam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. It lies to the south of Lake Faguibine Lake Faguibine was a lake in Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert situated 80 k ...

Alzounoub Alzounoub is a commune of the Cercle of Goundam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, ج� ...

Bintagoungou Bintagoungou is a rural commune and village of the Cercle of Goudam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The village lies at the south east corner of Lake Faguibine Lake Faguibine was a lake in Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert sit ...

* Douékiré * Doukouria * Essakane *

Gargando Gargando is a small town located in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The people are mainly from subdivisions of the Kel Ansar tribe (which traces its origin to the Ansar of Medina). The village has many educated Touareg people. The diaspora of Garg ...

Issa Bery Issa Bery (also Issa Beri and Issabéry) is a commune of the Cercle of Goundam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The administrative center (''chef-lieu'') is the village of Toucabangou which is on the south shore of Lake Faguibine Lake Faguib ...

Kaneye Kaneye is a village and commune of the Cercle of Goudam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, a ...

M'Bouna M'Bouna is a village and commune of the Cercle of Goudam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ...

* Razelma * Télé * Tilemsi * Tin Aicha *

References

External links

MATCL - MINISTERE DE L'ADMINISTRATION TERRITORIALE ET DES COLLECTIVITES LOCALES
government of the Republic Mali.
Maplibrary: vector maps of national subdivisions of Mali
{{Communes of the Tombouctou Region Cercles of Mali Tombouctou Region Azawad