| Ségou Region | |
|---|---|
| — Region — | |
| Location within Mali | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Mali |
| Capital | Ségou |
| Area | |
| • Total | 64,947 km2 (25,076.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2009 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,336,255 |
| • Density | 36/km2 (93.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC (UTC±0) |
Ségou is the fourth most populous administrative region in Mali, whose capital is the town of Ségou.
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Situated at the center of Mali, Ségou Region covers 64,947 km² (around 5% of Mali). The region is bordered by Sikasso Region on the south, Tombouctou and Mopti on the east, Burkina Faso to the southeast and the Koulikoro Region to the west.
The Ségou region is characterized by a semi-arid climate (average yearly rainfall: 513 mm) and irrigated by two important waterways: the Niger and the Bani River, allowing allow irrigation for agriculture. Ségou has two seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season starts in June and lasts about four months until September. On the other hand, the dry season includes a cold period and a period of heat. The average yearly rainfall is about 513 mm. The harmattan is the dominant wind in the dry season and it blows from north to south. The monsoon blowing from south to north-west is more frequent during rainy season (hivernage).[2]
With a rural population that is largely nomadic semi-sedentary or sedentary, the population consists of many ethnic groups such as Bambara, Bozo, Soninke, Malinké and Toucouleur. Bambaras are mostly farmers and are the most numerous ethnic group. Their language is Bambara or Djoula. The Bozos are the second most populous ethnic group. They live in the borders of Niger, in small towns constituted of small houses. The Bozos economy is based on fishing. Bozo people have a monopoly on the transport system because of their knowledge in the river by Niger, and are regarded as the masters of water. The Somono, also fisherman, are not a distinct ethnic group but a mixture of Bambara, Bozo and Soninke. The Malinké, Maninka, and Mandinka are closely related to Bambaras. They have the same costumes, beliefs and religious practices as Bambaras. The Marka, Saracollé or Soninke are merchants and warriors.
Today, Ségou is known for its pottery, its market and its fishing industry. Attractions in the old town of Ségou-Koro included a mosque, Coulibaly's tomb and an ancient tree. In the city center, the main landmark is the water tower.
The main economic activities of the Ségou region are agri-business, cattle farming and fishing. The Ségou people apply essential traditional farming methods. Ségou produces the major part of Mali’s national food including sedentary cattle farming. The economy is essentially informal as it is oriented towards the populations' primary needs, while industrial production is weak and based in the food industry. Large scale agribusiness consists of three factories, COMATEX, CMDT and SUKALA. Commerce consists mostly of the small scale exchange and sale by of products from the primary sector, sold weekly at the large Ségou market, drawing customers from far outside of the city. The main products sold are vegetables, pottery, cotton, gold, leather, fruits, ovens, cattle and cereals.[3]
The region is divided into 7 Cercles encompassing 118 communes and 2166 villages:
The major towns are Ségou, San, Niono, Dioro, and Markala, the latter of which has Mali's principal hydroelectric dam.
See also History of Ségou and Bambara Empire.
The region was the home of the Bambara Empire of the early eighteenth century; it was later conquered by the Toucouleur Empire (1860s) and the French colonial army (1890s).
In 2009, Renzo Rosso, the founder and President of Diesel and the OTB-Group (Only The Brave), together with Millennium Promise, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and UNDP, launched the Only The Brave Millennium Village, in Dioro of the Ségou region of Mali. Following the model of the Millennium Villages, which helps communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty, the first steps in Mali included distributing seeds and fertilizers to boost agriculture, providing bed nets to decrease malaria, and the constructing a new health clinics. Additionally, a new primary school, equipped and run with solar panels, was built with expanded classrooms, latrines for boys and girls and a new school kitchen. In the spring of 2010 Rosso visited the village to personally oversee the development. At a press conference in September, the CEO of Millennium Promise, John McArthur, said "Renzo and the Only the Brave Foundation bring an extraordinary spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship to this collaboration, all driven by passion to end extreme poverty."[4]
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