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The cercles of Mali are divided into arrondissements. These are further divided into 703 communes, 19 urban and 684 rural. Unlike communes or cercles, arrondissements have no administrative power or elected officials: they are merely territorial divisions or used to divide administrative duties. Often the borders of communes and arrondissements coincide, rendering the arrondissement demarcation of the territory superfluous.
The arrondissements are listed below, by region and cercle:
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.
Gao, or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, 320 km (200 mi) east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.
A cercle is the second-level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight régions and one capital district (Bamako); the régions are subdivided into 49 cercles. These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city.
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.