Sikasso Region (Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Sikaso Dineja; Supyire: Sukwoo Síŋi[3]) is the southernmost region of Mali. The region's capital city, Sikasso, is the country's second-largest city. Major ethnic groups include the Senoufo, known for masks and reverence for animals, the Samogo, known for being Mali's best farmers, and the main ethnic group in Mali, the Bambara people.
Sikasso Region | |
|---|---|
 Location within Mali | |
| Coordinates: 11°11′59″N 7°5′49″W / 11.19972°N 7.09694°W | |
| Country |  Mali |
| Capital | Sikasso |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Kanté Marie Claire Dembélé |
| Area | |
• Total | 20,800 km2 (8,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 1,512,247 |
| • Density | 72.7/km2 (188/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (UTC) |
| HDI (2017) | 0.410[2] low · 3rd |
Administrative divisions
editSikasso Region is divided into seven cercles:[4][5]
| Cercle name | Area (km2) | Population Census 1998 | Population Census 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bougouni | 20,028 | 307,633 | 459,509 |
| Kadiolo | 5,375 | 130,730 | 239,713 |
| Kolondiéba | 9,200 | 141,861 | 202,618 |
| Koutiala | 8,740 | 382,350 | 575,253 |
| Sikasso | 15,375 | 514,764 | 725,494 |
| Yanfolila | 9,240 | 163,798 | 211,824 |
| Yorosso | 5,500 | 141,021 | 211,508 |
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.
Besides the regional capital, the other urban communes and major cities in Sikasso Region where Bougouni, a junction town en route to Bamako (the capital of Mali), and Koutiala in the northern part of Sikasso Region, which is the hub of Mali's highly productive cotton industry, which produces one of the country's few exports. In 2023 Bougouni and Koutiala became independent regions of Mali.
Communities
edit- Mandela
Demographics
editIn 2023, the Sikasso Region had a population of 1,512,247.[1] It is the third most populated region in Mali, with around 1,533,123 inhabitants as of 2022. The settlement pattern is predominantly rural, with 28.8% of the population urbanized.[7]
With a total fertility rate of 6.3 births per woman, Sikasso has a slightly higher TFR than the Malian national average TFR of 6.1 births per woman.[8]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 645,494 |
| 2009 | 978,395 |
| 2023 | 1,512,247 |
Ethnicity
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Sikasso is ethnically and linguistically diverse. The Senufo–primarily belonging to the Supyire subgroup[3]–accounted for 45.71% of the regional population in 2022. Sikasso is one of only two Malian regions, the other being Koutiala, where the Senufo constitute the largest ethnic group. Other significant ethnic groups in the region include the Bambara, Fula, Samogo, Dogon, Malinké, Soninke, and Bobo/Bwa. Sikasso also has the highest concentration of Samogo people in the entirety of Mali.[6]
Religion
editThe 2022 census found that 96.30% of the population in Sikasso was Muslim, 1.50% was Christian, 0.93% identified with traditional faiths, 1.04% had no religion, and 0.23% practiced other religions. Although Islam is the dominant religion among all the ethnic groups in the region (except the Bobo/Bwa), a significant minority of Senufo identify with traditional faiths.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Mali: Regions, Cities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- 1 2 Carlson, Robert (1994). A Grammar of Supyire. Germany: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 1, 503. ISBN 978-3-11-014057-6.
- ↑ Loi N°99-035/ du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Création des Collectivités Territoriales de Cercles et de Régions (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l'Administration Territoriales et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali, 1999.
- ↑ Communes de la Région de Sikasso (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l’administration territoriale et des collectivités locales, République du Mali, archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2013.
- 1 2 3 Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "RAPPORT D'ANALYSE DES DONNEES DU RGPH5 THÈME : CARACTERISTIQUES CULTURELLES DE LA POPULATION". Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "CINQUIEME RECENSEMENT GENERAL DE LA POPULATION ET DE L'HABITAT (RGPH5)" (PDF). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "RAPPORT D'ANALYSE DES DONNEES DU RGPH5 THÈME : NATALITE ET FECONDITE (RGPH5)". Retrieved 13 June 2026.
External links
edit- Site Officiel de la Région de Sikasso (in French), Ministère de l'Administration Territoriale et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali.
- Synthèsis des Plans Communaux de Securité Alimentaire de la Région de Sikasso 2007-2011 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007.