Ansongo
Encyclopedia
Ansongo is a Rural Commune
and small town in the Gao Region
of south-eastern Mali
. The town lies on the left bank of the Niger River
90 km south of Gao
. It is the administrative center for the surrounding Ansongo Cercle
. The commune has an area of 445 km2 and had a population of 32,709 in 2009.
but includes a small area on the right bank. As well as Ansongo, the commune includes the villages of Bazi-Gourma, Bazi-Haoussa, Monzonga, Seyna-Bella and Seyna-Sonrhai. The commune is bounded to the east by the town of Tin-Hama
, to the south by the commune of Bourre
, the west by the commune of Tessit
and to the north and north east by the communes of Bara
and Talataye
. The town of Ansongo has 23 councilors representing numerous parties. Directly to the east of the town is the Ansongo-Ménaka animal reserve, which covers an area of more than 4,300,000 acres (1,750,000 hectares).
The climate is Sahelian, and is characterized by the alternation of two seasons: a long dry season (October to June) and a short wet season (July to September). The annual rainfall varies between 250 to 350 mm depending on the year. Ansongo may experience major fluctuations in temperature, such as from 15°C to 45°C. The commune is overall on a low altitude and the Niger River plays a crucial role in the nature of the commune.
There are two major types of soil in Ansongo, sandy clay soil along the river suitable for growing rice
, vegetable
s and sorghum
and the rearing of some livestock and sandy soils that occur in areas away from the river valley, notably the formations of sand dunes between which there are clay depressions. The presence of sand however is sometimes covered by vegetation. Vegetation consists of wooded savanna
with dominant species such as acacia
s, Ziziphus mauritiana
and Euphorbia balsamifera
.
Ansongo is primarily agricultural. The Niger River is of central importance to the economy although sometimes places it at risk from flooding. Along the river the growing of different vegetables is important, particularly rice and sorghum. 80% of the population is employed in agriculture. Livestock is an important activity, and the town of Ansongo is the centre of trading. Animal husbandry includes cattle, camel
s, sheep, goat
s, poultry, horse
s and donkey
s. Dairy products are also important but the lack of processing units in the commune is a problem which may also suffer from various epidemics among animals and humans, water scarcity, and lack of pasture. The Niger River also provides an abundance of fish, and numerous fisheries are dotted along the river. The number of fishermen is constantly increasing due to immigration of people to Ansongo and fish farms have grown in recent years. Crafts are mainly practiced mainly by women in Ansongo, and may produce domestic leather, basketry, forge, pottery
, mats, hides and skins for trade at the market in Ansongo. Some artisans operate in the production of farm equipment, with plows, carts, daba, sickle, picks, shovels, stoves, etc for sale in which farmers from the surrounding rural area in the commune will buy or trade their goods with.
Trade is important with many Arab Songhai and Tamasheq retail dealers, especially by women. Ansongo market trades in basic necessities such as sugar
, tea
, cereal
s, tobacco
etc. A lot of these supplies are brought in from neighbouring Niger
, Nigeria
, and also from other areas of Mali such as Gao
and Bamako
.
Communes of Mali
A Commune is the third level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district . These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles...
and small town in the Gao Region
Gao Region
The Gao Region is located in eastern Mali. The region's capital city is Gao. Gao Region is bordered to the south and east by Niger, to the north by Kidal Region, and to the west by Tombouctou Region. Common ethnicities in the Gao Region include the Songhai, Bozo, Tuareg, Bambara, and Kounta...
of south-eastern Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. The town lies on the left bank of the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
90 km south of Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
. It is the administrative center for the surrounding Ansongo Cercle
Ansongo Cercle
Ansongo Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of Mali. The administrative center is the town of Ansongo. The Niger River passes through the cercle and plays an important role in transportation and the economy in the region.The cercle is divided into seven...
. The commune has an area of 445 km2 and had a population of 32,709 in 2009.
Geography and climate
Ansongo is located in the southern part of the Gao region. The rural commune of Ansongo was created on 4 November 1996. It covers an area of approximately 445 km² and is mostly located on the left bank of the Niger RiverNiger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
but includes a small area on the right bank. As well as Ansongo, the commune includes the villages of Bazi-Gourma, Bazi-Haoussa, Monzonga, Seyna-Bella and Seyna-Sonrhai. The commune is bounded to the east by the town of Tin-Hama
Tin-Hama
Tin-Hama is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Ansongo in the Gao Region of south-eastern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 1902.-External links:*...
, to the south by the commune of Bourre
Bourré
Bourré is a trick-taking gambling card game primarily played in the Acadiana region of Louisiana in the United States of America. And also in the Greek island of Psara with the name Boureki...
, the west by the commune of Tessit
Tessit
Tessit is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Ansongo in the Gao Region of south-eastern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 6,717.-External links:*...
and to the north and north east by the communes of Bara
Bara, Mali
Bara is a rural commune and village in the Cercle of Ansongo in the Gao Region of south-eastern Mali....
and Talataye
Talataye
Talataye is a small town and commune in the Cercle of Ansongo in the Gao Region of south-eastern Mali. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 12083.-External links:*...
. The town of Ansongo has 23 councilors representing numerous parties. Directly to the east of the town is the Ansongo-Ménaka animal reserve, which covers an area of more than 4,300,000 acres (1,750,000 hectares).
The climate is Sahelian, and is characterized by the alternation of two seasons: a long dry season (October to June) and a short wet season (July to September). The annual rainfall varies between 250 to 350 mm depending on the year. Ansongo may experience major fluctuations in temperature, such as from 15°C to 45°C. The commune is overall on a low altitude and the Niger River plays a crucial role in the nature of the commune.
There are two major types of soil in Ansongo, sandy clay soil along the river suitable for growing rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
and the rearing of some livestock and sandy soils that occur in areas away from the river valley, notably the formations of sand dunes between which there are clay depressions. The presence of sand however is sometimes covered by vegetation. Vegetation consists of wooded savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
with dominant species such as acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
s, Ziziphus mauritiana
Ziziphus mauritiana
Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Jujube, Chinee Apple, Indian plum, and permseret , is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae....
and Euphorbia balsamifera
Euphorbia balsamifera
Euphorbia balsamifera is a plant in the Euphorbia genus. It is distributed from Arabian Peninsula to Sahara and Canary Islands....
.
Economy
Niger River at Ansongo |
|---|
Average monthly flow (m³/s) at the Ansongo hydrometric station over the period 1951-1992 |
Ansongo is primarily agricultural. The Niger River is of central importance to the economy although sometimes places it at risk from flooding. Along the river the growing of different vegetables is important, particularly rice and sorghum. 80% of the population is employed in agriculture. Livestock is an important activity, and the town of Ansongo is the centre of trading. Animal husbandry includes cattle, camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s, sheep, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, poultry, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s. Dairy products are also important but the lack of processing units in the commune is a problem which may also suffer from various epidemics among animals and humans, water scarcity, and lack of pasture. The Niger River also provides an abundance of fish, and numerous fisheries are dotted along the river. The number of fishermen is constantly increasing due to immigration of people to Ansongo and fish farms have grown in recent years. Crafts are mainly practiced mainly by women in Ansongo, and may produce domestic leather, basketry, forge, pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, mats, hides and skins for trade at the market in Ansongo. Some artisans operate in the production of farm equipment, with plows, carts, daba, sickle, picks, shovels, stoves, etc for sale in which farmers from the surrounding rural area in the commune will buy or trade their goods with.
Trade is important with many Arab Songhai and Tamasheq retail dealers, especially by women. Ansongo market trades in basic necessities such as sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
etc. A lot of these supplies are brought in from neighbouring Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and also from other areas of Mali such as Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
and Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
.