City Africa
Bamako
Bamako is the capital city of Mali, in West Africa. The big Niger River flows through it.
Bamako is the capital and by far the biggest city of Mali, on both banks of the Niger River. It began as a market village, grew quickly after the railway from Dakar was built in 1904, and now stretches about 22 kilometers from east to west. About 4.17 million people lived there in 2023.
Bamako was founded in the late 16th century on the left bank of the Niger and became the capital of French Sudan in 1920 and later of Mali. Mali's statistics institute estimated 4,170,005 people in the Bamako capital district on 1 July 2023, nearly ten times the next city, Sikasso.
Photo: Mark Fischer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Bamako
Bamako is the capital city of Mali. It is the biggest city in the country.
The wide Niger River flows right through Bamako.
Bamako is the capital of Mali, a large country in West Africa. The city spreads over both banks of the Niger River, across a wide, flat river plain. Universalis says it now stretches about 22 kilometers from east to west and 12 kilometers from north to south.
Mali's statistics institute estimated that 4,170,005 people lived in Bamako in July 2023. The next biggest city, Sikasso, had about 435,000.
City Population's table of figures from Mali's Institut National de la Statistique gives the Bamako capital district 4,170,005 people in the estimate of 1 July 2023, which it says is based on corrected results of the 2022 census; the 2009 census counted 2,124,032. Sikasso, second, had 434,717.
Universalis calls Bamako a 'macrocephalic' city that gathers the country's main administrative, industrial, commercial and cultural roles, and describes the district's six communes spread on both sides of the river.
- Country
- Mali (capital city)
- People in Bamako (estimate, 1 July 2023)
- 4,170,005
- River
- Niger (the city lies on both banks)
- City size
- about 22 km east to west and 12 km north to south
Museum, tower and new neighborhoods
Bamako is home to the National Museum of Mali.
Long bridges cross the river, so people can go from one side of the city to the other.
The National Museum of Mali, which Wikidata dates to 1953, stands about 1.6 kilometers north-northwest of the city center. About 1.6 kilometers south-southwest of the center stands the BCEAO Tower, which Wikidata lists as a skyscraper.
Universalis names Niaréla as the city's oldest neighborhood. Since 1947 a bridge has joined the two banks of the Niger, and a second bridge was added in the late 1990s. The photo shows the ACI 2000 neighborhood.
Wikidata places the National Museum of Mali (inception 1953) 1.62 km north-northwest of its point for Bamako and the BCEAO Tower, a skyscraper, 1.63 km south-southwest. Universalis says the city grew between its oldest quarter, Niaréla, and a European quarter of trading houses, and that the two banks have been linked since 1947 by one bridge and since the late 1990s by a second.
The Commons description of the hero photo identifies the ACI 2000 neighborhood, with the Niger River in the background.
- National Museum of Mali
- 1953 (Wikidata)
- Bridge joining the two banks
- 1947
- Oldest neighborhood
- Niaréla
From market village to capital
Long ago, Bamako was a village with a big market. People sold cattle, salt and rice there.
Then a railway came, and the village grew into a huge city.
Universalis says Bamako was founded in the late 1500s on the left bank of the Niger. For a long time it was a large walled village with an important market for cattle, kola nuts, salt and rice.
The French arrived in 1883, and in 1904 the Dakar–Niger railway, about 1,300 kilometers long, was built with Bamako at its end. In 1920 it became the capital of the French colony of French Sudan, and it grew from 37,000 people in 1945 to 400,000 in 1976.
Universalis traces the name to the Bambara Bammakô, 'the caiman's backwater', and describes a fortified village and market (cattle, kola, salt, rice) that grew quickly as a trading and military center after the French arrived in 1883, then as the terminus of the 1,300 km Dakar–Niger railway (1904) and as capital of French Sudan from December 1920.
It gives 37,000 inhabitants in 1945, 400,000 in 1976 and 700,000 in 1990. In 1978 the Bamako district was given the rank of a region, and in 1999 more control over its own urban and economic development.
- Founded
- late 16th century
- Dakar–Niger railway
- 1904; Bamako is its end station (1,300 km)
- Capital of French Sudan
- December 1920
Bridges, roads and an airport
To cross the wide river, people use big bridges.
Airplanes fly in and out of Bamako's airport.
The Niger River divides Bamako in two, so bridges matter: one has linked the banks since 1947 and a second since the late 1990s. Universalis describes Bamako as a regional crossroads at a meeting point of roads.
Its international airport opened in 1974, about 13 kilometers south-southeast of the city center. The railway from Dakar, in Senegal, ends in Bamako.
Universalis says Bamako plays an important role as a regional crossroads at the center of a road network, strengthened by its international airport, inaugurated in 1974 (Wikidata also gives 1974), and that it is the terminus of the 1,300 km Dakar–Niger railway built in 1904.
Wikidata places the airport 13.15 km south-southeast of its point for the city. Universalis notes that hills to the north, toward the Manding Plateau, have limited building there.
- International airport
- opened 1974
- Bridges across the Niger
- 1947 and the late 1990s
- City center to the airport
- about 13 km south-southeast
Hot all year, with a rainy summer
Bamako is hot all year. April is the hottest month.
In summer it rains a lot, but in winter it hardly rains at all.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Bamako (1950–2000) show daytime highs of more than 31 °C in every month, reaching about 40 °C in April. December and January nights are the coolest, at about 17 °C.
About 991 millimeters of rain fall in an average year, most of it from June to September. August is the wettest month, while December, January and February average less than 1 millimeter each.
The WMO table for Bamako, 1950–2000, gives average highs from 31.1 °C in August to 39.6 °C in April and average lows from 16.8 °C in December to 25.4 °C in May.
The monthly rainfall averages add up to about 991.3 mm on about 74 days. August is the wettest month (290.2 mm), followed by July (224.1 mm) and September (195.9 mm); December is the driest (0.5 mm), then January (0.6 mm) and February (0.7 mm).
- April, average high (WMO, 1950–2000)
- 39.6 °C
- August rainfall (same period)
- 290.2 mm
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 991 mm
A city of markets and work
Bamako has been a market town for a very long time.
Today many people come from the countryside to live and work in the city.
Bamako has long been a place of trade. Universalis says it gathers Mali's main government, industrial, trade and cultural roles, and that many people move there from the countryside.
The photo shows apartment blocks beside sandy open plots in the ACI 2000 neighborhood, with a garden of green plants in rows at the bottom.
Universalis says Bamako gathers Mali's main administrative, industrial, commercial and cultural functions, that its industry is still small because the local market is small, and that rapid population growth and migration from the countryside make it hard for the city to plan its edges.
It describes the district of about 267 km² with six communes and 69 quarters on both sides of the river; the hero photo, taken on 1 January 2018, shows apartment blocks, open plots and a garden with rows of green plants in the ACI 2000 neighborhood.
- Old market goods
- cattle, kola nuts, salt and rice
- Main roles (Universalis)
- government, industry, trade and culture
- Communes in the district
- 6
Bamako on the map
Find Mali on the globe. It is in West Africa. Look for the long Niger River. Bamako is on its banks!
Bamako lies at about 12.6° north and 8.0° west, in southwestern Mali, on the Niger River.
Measured from Wikidata's point for the city center, the National Museum of Mali is about 1.6 kilometers to the north-northwest, the BCEAO Tower about 1.6 kilometers to the south-southwest, and the airport about 13 kilometers to the south-southeast. The photo was taken about 4 kilometers west-southwest of the center.
Bamako lies at about 12.65° N and 7.99° W. Measured from Wikidata's point for Bamako: the National Museum of Mali 1.62 km north-northwest, the BCEAO Tower 1.63 km south-southwest, the international airport 13.15 km south-southeast.
The hero photo's camera position recorded on Commons (12.635862° N, 8.030038° W) is 4.25 km west-southwest of that point, in the ACI 2000 neighborhood; it was taken on 1 January 2018 from high above the ground.
- Latitude
- about 12.6° north
- Longitude
- about 8.0° west
- City center to the National Museum
- about 1.6 km north-northwest
Amazing facts
-
Bamako's name is about a pool of water and an animal like a crocodile!
Universalis says Bamako's name comes from the Bambara word Bammakô, meaning 'the caiman's backwater'.
Universalis derives the name from the Bambara Bammakô, 'le marigot du caïman' (the caiman's backwater).
-
A long railway from Dakar ends in Bamako!
The Dakar–Niger railway, about 1,300 kilometers long, runs from Dakar to its last station in Bamako. It was built in 1904.
Universalis dates the 1,300 km Dakar–Niger railway to 1904 and calls Bamako its terminus, one of the reasons for the city's fast growth.
-
Bamako grew very, very fast!
Bamako had about 37,000 people in 1945. By 2023 it had more than 4 million, more than 100 times as many.
Universalis gives 37,000 inhabitants in 1945; Mali's statistics institute estimated 4,170,005 in 2023, about 113 times as many.
-
In winter, it almost never rains in Bamako.
In the WMO's averages, December, January and February in Bamako each get less than 1 millimeter of rain.
Bamako's WMO averages (1950–2000) give 0.5 mm for December, 0.6 mm for January and 0.7 mm for February, against 290.2 mm for August.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government is based
- terminus
- the last station at the end of a railway line
- colony
- a land ruled by another, faraway country
- commune
- a district of a city with its own local council
- rainy season
- the time of year when most of the rain falls
- estimate
- a careful calculation of a number when it cannot be counted exactly
Discovery challenge
-
Bamako is the capital of which country?
Bamako is the capital of which West African country?
Bamako, capital of French Sudan from 1920, is now the capital of which country?
- Senegal
- Mali
- Ghana
Show the answer
Mali
Mali!
Mali, in West Africa.
Mali.
-
Which river flows through Bamako?
Bamako spreads over both banks of which river?
Bamako was founded on the left bank of which river?
- The Niger
- The Nile
- The Congo
Show the answer
The Niger
The Niger River!
The Niger; bridges join its two banks.
The Niger, in the late 16th century (Universalis).
-
What came to Bamako in 1904 and helped it grow?
Which line, ending in Bamako, was built from Dakar in 1904?
Bamako is the terminus of which 1,300 km line, completed in 1904?
- A railway
- A canal
- A highway
Show the answer
A railway
A railway with trains!
The Dakar–Niger railway.
The Dakar–Niger railway.
-
Which month is the hottest in Bamako?
Which month has Bamako's highest average daytime temperature?
In the WMO's 1950–2000 averages, which month has Bamako's highest average high (39.6 °C)?
- January
- April
- August
Show the answer
April
April!
April, at about 40 °C.
April (39.6 °C); March and May follow at 38.5 °C.
-
When does most of the rain fall in Bamako?
Which month is the wettest in Bamako?
In the WMO's averages, which month is Bamako's wettest (290.2 mm)?
- August
- December
- February
Show the answer
August
In August, in summer!
August, with about 290 millimeters.
August (290.2 mm), ahead of July (224.1 mm) and September (195.9 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Bamako and Mali on the Niger River in West Africa.
- Describe how a market village grew into a capital after a railway arrived.
- Compare a city's size and population across 80 years using real figures.
- Read monthly rainfall averages for a city with one rainy season.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Bamako grew from 37,000 people in 1945 to more than 4 million. What does a city need when it grows that fast?
- A railway from the coast ends in Bamako. Why might a railway help a town far from the sea grow?
- Almost all of Bamako's rain falls in four months. How might that change farming and daily life?
Try at home or in class
- Rain bars: draw Bamako's monthly rainfall as bars and mark the rainy season.
- Growth line: plot Bamako's population in 1945, 1976, 1990 and 2023 and describe the shape of the line.
- Map trace: draw the Niger River through Bamako and add the two bridges joining its banks.
Key vocabulary: capital, terminus, colony, commune, rainy season, estimate
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Mali: Regions, Major Cities & Localities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from INSTAT Mali
- Bamako , Encyclopaedia Universalis (François Bost)
- World Weather Information Service: Bamako climatological information , World Meteorological Organization
- File:Bamako ACI 2000 Aeriel.jpg (Mark Fischer, 1 January 2018) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.