Bamako

Bamako Bamako is a city in Mali, a country in West Africa. Bamako became famous for its location as a center for shipping food, minerals and the shipment of slaves to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1960 after the transition of Independence, Bamako remained the Capitol of Mali. In 2008 “Bamako was ranked the sixth fastest growing city in the world.”(Issitt.M, 2010) Mali borders on several other countries it is one of the largest nations in Africa inhabiting more than 478,000 square miles of borders from Niger, Algeria, Burkina Fasco, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania and Cote d ‘Ivoire. Niger River is the most beneficial river for Bamako because of the way it flows it allows shipping traffic from West to East through the nation allowing an inland of streams and lakes accessible before being able to pass through into the Gulf of Guinea from Niger. The population in 1883 was between 800 and 1000 residents when Bamako was captured in the French expedition. In 1889 Bamako was named the capital of the French colonial territory of Haut-Senegal-Niger, and in 1920 it was designated the official Capital of the colony of Soudan Françoise (Konaté 2003, 7) (Arnoldi. M, 2007). Mali’s population growth plays a key role in the wealth of the country. Around 30 percent of the poor and poverty stricken areas consist of the urban population and most of the networks have vanished leaving problems receiving housing, food and services because of the tremendous amount of growth.“Mali’s economy expanded at an average rate of 5 percent per year between 1994 and 2004. However, this sustained growth did little to reduce poverty, even though per capita income increased from FCFA 135,549 (USD 251) in 1993 to FCFA 181,980 (USD 337) in 2003.” (Issitt. M, 2010) References Issitt, M. (2010). Bamako. Our World: Mali, 2. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Arnoldi, M. (2007). Bamako, Mali: Monuments and Modernity in the Urban Imagination. Africa Today, 54(2), 2-24. Retrieved from EBSCOhost