Tombouctou Region

Tombouctou Region
Location within Mali
Location within Mali
Map
Interactive map of Tombouctou Region in Mali
Coordinates: 21°8′45″N 4°1′15″W / 21.14583°N 4.02083°W / 21.14583; -4.02083
Country Mali
CapitalTimbuktu
Area
 • Total56,435 km2 (21,790 sq mi)
Population
 (2022 census)[2]
 • Total975,139
 • Density17/km2 (45/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±0 (UTC)
HDI (2017)0.309[3]
low

Tombouctou Region or Timbuktu Region (Bambara: ߕߎߡߎߕߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ, Tumutu Dineja) is one of the administrative regions of Mali. For administrative purposes, the region is subdivided into five cercles.

The region is part of northern Mali that was separated and declared independent by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) during the Tuareg rebellion of 2012. In the course of the conflict, the MNLA lost control of the territory to Islamist militias.

Tombouctou Region is world-famous for its capital, the ancient city Timbuktu (French: Tombouctou), synonymous to 19th-century Europeans with an elusive, hard-to-reach destination. The city gained fame in 1390 when its ruler, Mansa Musa I, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stopping with his entourage in Egypt and dispensing enough gold to devalue the Egyptian currency. This started the legend of a city in the interior of Africa, where roads were said to be paved with gold and buildings topped with roofs of gold.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Synthèse des 108 Plans Communaux Sécurité Alimentaire de la Région de Tombouctou 2006-2010 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2006, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-19.
  2. ^ Regions of Mali, retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.