| Bamako is the Capitol of Mali. It was founded | | | | jewellery varieties. |
| on the west bank of the Niger River in the | | | | |
| 16th century. The small Bambara village of | | | | The Santoro gallery that offers a wide range |
| Bamako experienced little expansion until the | | | | of internal decoration products, textile and |
| arrival of the French in 1883. On becoming | | | | basketwork. |
| the colonial capital in 1908, the city | | | | |
| evolved into the crossroads of a region | | | | It is the nations administrative centre, as |
| potentially rich in agricultural products and | | | | well as a river port and a major regional |
| endowed with natural road and river | | | | trade centre. Manufactures include textiles, |
| communication outlets. | | | | processed meat, and metal goods. |
| | | | |
| The city also has an international airport. | | | | Bamakos educational institutions include |
| | | | schools of administration, medicine, and |
| Official estimates put the population at 1 | | | | engineering. |
| million. | | | | |
| | | | The American International School of Bamako |
| It is definitely a crowded city and traffic | | | | is an independent, coeducational private day |
| can become completely to a stand still. Cars, | | | | school which offers a full U S educational |
| mopeds, trucks, buses, donkey carts, | | | | program from age 3 through to 12 and offers a |
| pedestrians, bicycles, goats and sheep all | | | | complete high school program. The School was |
| want for their piece of the road. There | | | | established in 1977 to serve the needs of |
| appear to be no rules of the road and | | | | American and international community students |
| disaster continually imminent, but somehow | | | | seeking an English language education. The |
| avoided. | | | | school year is divided into three trimesters |
| | | | which begin in late August, in November and |
| In the Twenties, the train journey between | | | | in March. There are 175 days in the school |
| Dakar in Senegal and the Malian capital was | | | | year. |
| one of the greatest and most luxurious in | | | | |
| Africa. But what is it like now not good. | | | | The landlocked West African country of Mali |
| | | | is one of the worlds poorest nations. Since |
| Tourist attractions including a park and a | | | | independence from France in 1960 it has |
| zoological garden with several species of | | | | suffered droughts, rebellions, a coup and 23 |
| fauna and flora. The National Museum with its | | | | years of military dictatorship. But since |
| collection of Malian masks and statues. The | | | | 1992, when its first democratically elected |
| Muso Kunda museum with its variety of womens | | | | president took power, Mali has had a civilian |
| art and handicraft items. The Crafts House | | | | government, which is good. |
| that presents to visitors pottery and | | | | |