Koutiala (
Bambara: ߞߎߕߌߊߟߊ tr. Kutiala) is a city 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 the administrative region of
Sikasso
Sikasso ( Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ tr. Sikaso) is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census.
History
Sikasso was a small ...
, and is located 140 km north of the city of
Sikasso
Sikasso ( Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ tr. Sikaso) is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census.
History
Sikasso was a small ...
. Koutiala serves as the capital of its administrative
Cercle, home to 575,253 people in 2009. As of the 2009 Census, Koutiala has 137,919 residents.
History
Situated in
Minianka
Minyanka (also known as Mamara, Miniyanka, Minya, Mianka, Minianka, or Tupiire) is a northern Senufo languages, Senufo language spoken by about 750,000 people in southeastern Mali. It is closely related to Supyire language, Supyire. Minyanka is o ...
country, Koutiala was founded in the 16th century by members of the Coulibaly family from the
Bambara kingdom of
Segou. It now contains an important hospital for women and children.
Koutiala's sister city is
Alençon
Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Climate
Economy
Koutiala is the heartland of
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
production in Mali and is sometimes called "the white gold capital" for its cotton.
However, the industry has been affected by stagnation since the 1980s.
Aside from cotton it is also noted for grain production, primarily
pearl millet
Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum'') is the most widely grown type of millet. It has been grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and ...
,
sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
and
maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
.
Koutiala is the second most industrial city in Mali, hosting, among others, the ''
Compagnie malienne pour le développement du textile
The Compagnie malienne pour le développement des textiles (CMDT), created in 1974, is a Malian cotton company. The company is owned by the Malian state and is charged with the production and marketing of Mali's cotton. It is based in Bamako and ...
'' (CMDT) and the ''Huilerie cotonnière du Mali'' (HUICOMA).
Notable people
*
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (; 29 January 1945 – 16 January 2022), often known by his initials IBK, was a Malian politician who served as the president of Mali from September 2013 to August 2020, when he was forced to resign in the 2020 Malian cou ...
, president of Mali
*
Berthé Aïssata Bengaly
Berthé Aïssata Bengaly (20 May 1957 – 31 May 2024) was a Malian politician and nutrition researcher. She served as minister for the promotion of women, children, and the family from 2002 to 2005, and as minister of the craft industry and tour ...
, Malian government minister
See also
*
List of cities in Mali
This list of cities in Mali tabulates all the largest communes in the country of Mali (including those in the north-eastern portion where the Mali Government no longer exercises de facto control). Besides the largest cities and towns (all urb ...
References
Communes of Sikasso Region
{{Sikasso-geo-stub