Bamako, population about 1 500,000 (2004), is the capital of Mali. It is located on the Niger River, in the southwestern part of the country. Bamako is the nation's administrative center, as well as a river port and a major regional trade center. Manufactures include textiles, processed meat, and metal goods. There is commercial fishing on the Niger River.

The area of the city has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic, but the legendary founding of Bamako occurred in the seventeenth century by Seribadian Niaré and Soumba Coulibaly , or Bamba Sanago , before its chiefdom passed to Diaoussadian Niaré . The city was an important market town and a leading center of Muslim learning under the Mali Empire, but by the 19th century it had declined. In 1883 the region was occupied by French troops, and in 1908, Bamako became the capital of the French Sudan. It population has grown rapidly; in 1960 Bamako's population was approximately 160,000.

Notable landmarks in Bamako include the Tour BCEAO , Bamako Grand Mosque and the Pont du Roi Fahd . It is home to Mali's largest international airport, as well as railway lines to Koulikoro in eastern Mali and Dakar in Senegal. Attractions include the Mali National Museum , the Muso Kunda Museum , the Bamako Regional Museum , Bamako Zoo , the Bamako Botanical Gardens and the Point G hill, containing caves with rock paintings.

1988 Bamako was conference location of a WHO conference known as Bamako-Initiative , that sustainably re-shaped health policy of sub-saharan Africa.