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

Tombouctou Region Tombouctou Region or Timbuktu Region ( Bambara: ߕߎߡߎߕߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ, 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 Mal ...

in northern

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 ...

. Its administrative center is the town of Goundam, although the most populous commune is

Tonka Tonka is an American brand and former manufacturer of toy trucks. The company was founded in 1946 and operated as an independent manufacturer of popular steel toy construction type trucks and machinery, until its sale to Hasbro in 1991. Histor ...

. 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 The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. In the south, seasonal lakes and rivers along the northern edge of the Inner Niger Delta 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 anim ...

, farming, and fishing. The population is

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...

and Maure nomads in the vast north, with settlements of

Fula people The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

Songhai people The Songhai people ( autonym: Ayneha) 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 the 15th and 16 ...

, and Bozo people in the far south of the cercle. Seasonal lakes in this area include Lake Faguibine, Lac Télé, Lac Fatil and Lac Oro. There is an airport at Goundam, and a highway running towards

Mopti Mopti (Fulfulde: Mobti) 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 confluence of the ...

far to the southwest and east to the regional capital of

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census. ...

. During the Tuareg rebellion of 2012, the government of Mali 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 languages, Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ), was a short-lived diplomatic recognition, unrecognised state lasting between 2012 and 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg, Tuareg Berber name for all Tuareg Ber ...

by the

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

(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:. * Adarmalane * Alzounoub * Bintagoungou * Douékiré * Doukouria * Essakane * Gargando * Goundam * Issa Bery * Kaneye * M'Bouna * 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