Sikasso is the southern-most region of 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 capital city of the same name is the 3rd-largest city and is growing rapidly due to people fleeing the violence in Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

 to the south. Major ethnic groups include the Senoufo, known for masks and reverence for animals, the Samago, known for being Mali's best farmers, and the main ethnic group in Mali, the Bambara people. The local economy is based on farming and the Sikasso, which receives more rain than any other Malian region, is known for its fruits and vegetables.

The Sikasso Region is divided into seven cercles

Cercles of Mali

A cercle is the second 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....

:

• Bougouni Cercle
  Bougouni Cercle
  Bougouni Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of Mali. The administrative center is the town of Bougouni.The cercle is divided into 26 communes:*Bladié-Tiémala*Bougouni*Danou*Débélin*Défina*Dogo*Domba*Faradiélé...
  
  
• Kolondiéba Cercle
  Kolondieba Cercle
  Kolondiéba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of Mali. The administrative center is the town of Kolondiéba.The cercle is divided into the urban commune of Kolondiéba and 11 rural communes:*Bougoula*Fakola*Farako...
  
  
• Kadiolo Cercle
  Kadiolo Cercle
  Kadiolo Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center is the town of Kadiolo.The cercle is divided into nine rural communes:*Diou*Dioumaténé*Fourou*Kadiolo*Kaï*Loulouni...
  
  
• Koutiala Cercle
  Koutiala Cercle
  Koutiala Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center is the town of Koutiala. The Cercle is divided into 36 communes.-Economy:...
  
  
• Sikasso Cercle
  Sikasso Cercle
  Sikasso Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The capital is the town of Sikasso.The cercle is divided into the urban commune of Sikasso and 43 rural communes:*Benkadi*Blendio*Danderesso*Dembela*Dialakoro...
  
  
• Yanfolila Cercle
  Yanfolila Cercle
  Yanfolila Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The administrative center is the town of Yanfolila.The cercle is divided into 12 communes:*Baya*Bolo-Fouta*Djallon-Foula*Djiguiya de Koloni*Gouanan...
  
  
• Yorosso Cercle
  Yorosso Cercle
  Yorosso Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The main town is Yorosso.The cercle is divided into nine rural communes:*Boura*Karangana*Kiffosso I*Koumbia*Koury*Mahou*Ménamba I*Ourikéla...
  
  

The city of Sikasso is known for a vibrant outdoor market which features fabrics, numerous vegetables and fruits (especially mangoes, for which Sikasso is particularly renowned.) Sikasso is an ethnic and linguistic melting pot

Melting pot

The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...

 featuring people from outlying villages, immigrants from Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

 and refugees.

The southwest corner of the Sikasso region is traditionally known as Wassoulou

Wassoulou

Wassoulou is an historic region in southwest Mali, northeast Guinea and the area west of the Sankarani river and south of the Niger River in Mali and Côte d'Ivoire...

. This area is known for its unique music and strong tradition of hunting. The main city of Wassoulou is Yanfolila

Yanfolila

Yanfolila is a town in the Yanfolila Cercle of the Sikasso Region of Mali.Yanfolila has been connected to the Internet since January 2005, thanks to a satellite connection....

.

Other major cities in Sikasso region include Bougouni

Bougouni

Bougouni is a commune and city in Mali, the administrative center of Bougouni Cercle, which is in turn found in the administrative region of Sikasso. Bougouni is located 170 km south of Bamako and 210 km west of the city of Sikasso...

, a junction town en route to the capitol of Mali; and Koutiala

Koutiala

Koutiala is a city in Mali in the administrative region of Sikasso. Koutiala serves as the capital of its administrative Cercle, home to 355,289 people. As of 2005, Koutiala has an estimated 96,600 residents and an area of 18 000 km²...

, in the northern Sikasso region, which is the hub of Mali's highly productive cotton industry, which produces one of the country's few exports.