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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:
The Mali Empire was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa. At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa, widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs.
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.
Kita Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kayes Region of Mali. The administrative centre (chef-lieu) is the town of Kita. In the 2009 census the population of the cercle was 434,379.
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.
Sikasso Cercle is one of seven administrative subdivisions of the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The capital is the town of Sikasso.
Tilemsi is a commune in the Cercle of Gao in the Gao Region of south-eastern Mali. The principal town lies at Tine Aouker. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 2,088.