The Baoulé River (, from
Manding for "Red River") is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
in
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
. It flows from a source west of
Bamako
Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.
Bamak ...
to the
Bakoy downastream of
Toukoto and forms part of the
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
watershed.
[.][.]
In
Manding languages, Baoulé signifies 'red river',
Bakoye 'white river' and
Bafing 'black river'.
Geography
The Baoulé's source is in the hills 120 kilometers south-west of Bamako near the Guinean border. It flows in a northerly direction for more than 200 kilometers, then turns to the west, making a wide meander, then a large northerly loop. Throughout this stretch, it constitutes the northern limit of the
Boucle du Baoulé National Park
The Boucle du Baoulé National Park (French language, French: ''Parc National de la Boucle du Baoulé'') lies in western Mali, in Kayes Region and Koulikoro Region, set up in 1982. It has an area of 25,330 km² but has little large wildlife ...
. The last part of the Baoule flows in a southwesterly direction. It reaches the Bakoye on the right bank, about twelve kilometers downstream from Toukoto, almost doubling its flow.
Its total length is about 500 kilometers. It is not navigable.
Flow
The average monthly flow, tracked over a period of 39 years (1952-1990) at a station opposite the small town of Bougouda at the Bakoy-Baoule confluence, was for a drainage area of approximately .
[Numbers calculated on the basis of measurements made on the Bakoye at Toukot]
GRDC - Le Bakoye à Toukoto
and Oual
upstream and downstream respectively of the confluence.
References
Rivers of Mali
Senegal River
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