Nioro du Sahel, often referred to as simply Nioro, is a town and urban commune in the Kayes Region of western Mali, 241 km from the city of Kayes. It is located 275 miles (by road) north-west of the Malian capital Bamako. As of 1998, the commune had a population of 60,112, although current estimates are nearer to 69,100 people.

Nioro du Sahel
Commune and town
Nioro du Sahel is located in Mali
Nioro du Sahel
Nioro du Sahel
Location in Mali
Coordinates: 15°11′N 9°33′W / 15.183°N 9.550°W / 15.183; -9.550
Country Mali
RegionKayes Region
CercleNioro du Sahel Cercle
Government
 • MayorAbbas Sylla
Population
 (1998)
 • Total
60,112
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)

Founded in circa 1240 by a Diawando slave named Beydari Tamboura,[1] Nioro attained its greatest height in the eighteenth century as the then-capital of the Bambara kingdom of Kaarta. The town became an important trading center between Upper Senegal and the Sudan.

In the early 1850s, the Toucouleur conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall invaded Kaarta, forcing the kingdom's conversion to Islam; he built a great mosque in Nioro in 1854. Umar Tall's son Ahmadu Tall took refuge in Nioro after the fall of his capital Segou to the French in 1890. His army, led by the Wolof king-in-exile Alboury Ndiaye, failed to defend the city against the advancing colonial army in January 1891.[2]

The town has an airstrip at Nioro Airport.

Climate

edit
Climate data for Nioro (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.4
(88.5)
34.7
(94.5)
37.5
(99.5)
40.0
(104.0)
41.3
(106.3)
39.4
(102.9)
34.8
(94.6)
32.9
(91.2)
34.5
(94.1)
37.3
(99.1)
35.7
(96.3)
31.6
(88.9)
35.9
(96.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.7
(72.9)
25.2
(77.4)
28.2
(82.8)
31.4
(88.5)
34.0
(93.2)
33.1
(91.6)
29.5
(85.1)
27.9
(82.2)
28.8
(83.8)
29.7
(85.5)
26.7
(80.1)
22.9
(73.2)
28.3
(82.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 13.5
(56.3)
16.1
(61.0)
19.1
(66.4)
23.6
(74.5)
27.2
(81.0)
27.0
(80.6)
24.6
(76.3)
23.6
(74.5)
23.6
(74.5)
22.6
(72.7)
18.2
(64.8)
14.2
(57.6)
21.2
(70.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0.5
(0.02)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
2.5
(0.10)
7.1
(0.28)
46.4
(1.83)
132.8
(5.23)
148.9
(5.86)
92.0
(3.62)
26.0
(1.02)
1.0
(0.04)
0.8
(0.03)
458
(18.03)
Average rainy days 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.7 2.0 5.1 11.4 10.2 9.1 3.1 0.3 0.1 42.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 259.4 246.0 275.3 267.5 263.7 251.4 247.8 245.1 247.8 260.4 255.0 244.6 3,064
Source: NOAA[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ Dicko, Seïdina Oumar. Hamallah, le protégé de Dieu. Editions Jamana, 1 Jan 1999 pg 39
  2. ^ Charles, Eunice A. (1977). Precolonial Senegal : the Jolof Kingdom, 1800-1890. Brookline, MA: African Studies Center, Boston University. p. 130. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Station Name: NIORO" (TXT). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 August 2024.

15°11′N 9°33′W / 15.183°N 9.550°W / 15.183; -9.550