Koutiala

Koutiala
Commune and town
Koutiala

Location in Mali

Coordinates: 12°23′N 5°28′W / 12.383°N 5.467°W / 12.383; -5.467Coordinates: 12°23′N 5°28′W / 12.383°N 5.467°W / 12.383; -5.467
Country  Mali
Region Sikasso Region
Cercle Koutiala Cercle
Population (2009)
 • Total 137,919
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)

Koutiala is a city in Mali in the administrative region of Sikasso, and is located 140 km north of the city of Sikasso. 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 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.[1] Koutiala's sister city is Alençon, France.

Economy

Koutiala is the heartland of cotton production in Mali and is sometimes called "the white gold capital" for its cotton.[2] However, the industry has been affected by stagnation since the 1980s.[3] Aside from cotton it is also noted for grain production, primarily pearl millet, sorghum and maize.[4] Koutiala is the second most industrial city in Mali, hosting, among others, the Compagnie malienne pour le développement du textile (CMDT) and the Huilerie cotonnière du Mali (HUICOMA).

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Koutiala Hospital
  2. ↑ López-Ridaura, Santiago (2005). Multi-scale sustainability evaluation: a framework for the derivation and quantification of indicators for natural resource management systems. Wageningen University and Research Centre. ISBN 978-90-6754-954-7. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  3. ↑ Benjaminsen, Tor Arve; Lund, Christian (2001). Politics, property and production in the West African Sahel: understanding natural resources management. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 263. ISBN 978-91-7106-476-9. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  4. ↑ Morrisson, Christian; Lecaillon, Jacques. Economic Policies and Agricultural Performance. OECD. p. 161. Retrieved 5 January 2011.


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