| Soumpi | |
|---|---|
| Commune and village | |
  Soumpi Location in Mali | |
| Coordinates: 15°50′45″N4°19′18″W / 15.84583°N 4.32167°W Coordinates: 15°50′45″N4°19′18″W / 15.84583°N 4.32167°W | |
| Country |  |
| Region | Tombouctou Region |
| Cercle | Niafunké Cercle |
| Area [1] | |
| • Total | 1,505 km2 (581 sq mi) |
| Population (2009 census) [2] | |
| • Total | 16,590 |
| • Density | 11/km2 (29/sq mi) |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Soumpi is a village and commune of the Cercle of Niafunké in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. Lac Soumpi is a lake of note here, as is the archaeological site of Tissalaten.
A Commune is the third level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district (Bamako). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles. The Cercles and the district are divided into 703 Communes, with 36 Urban Communes and 667 Rural Communes, while some larger Cercles still contain Arrondissements above the Commune level, these are organisational areas with no independent power or office. Rural Communes are subdivided in Villages, while Urban Communes are subdivided into Quartier. Communes usually bear the name of their principal town. The capital, Bamako, consists of six Urban Communes. There were initially 701 communes until the Law No. 01-043 of 7 June 2001 created two new Rural Communes in the desert region in the north east of the country: Alata, Ménaka Cercle in the Gao Region and Intadjedite, Tin-Essako Cercle in the Kidal Region.
Niafunké Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Niafunké. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 184,285. The Niger River runs for 100 km through the cercle.
Tombouctou Region is one of the administrative regions of Mali. It is the largest of Mali's eight regions and includes a large section of the Sahara Desert. For administrative purposes, the region is subdivided into five cercles.
