Tombouctou Region

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Tombouctou Region
Region
Location within Mali
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
Capital	Timbuktu
Area [1]
• Total	56,435 km2 (21,790 sq mi)
Population  (2022 census)[2]
• Total	975,139
• Density	17/km2 (45/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±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]}