A Commune is a fourth level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capitol district (Bamako). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 50 Cercles. The Cercles and the district are divided into 703 Communes, with 19 Urban Communes and 684 Rural Communes, while some larger Cercles still contain Arrondissements above the Commune level, there are organisational with no independent power or office. Rural Communes are subdivided in Villages, while Urban Communes are subdivided into Quatriers (wards or quarters). Communes usually bear the name of their principle town.
Not every built up area (which might be described as a town) is a Commune, and not every Commune (especial Rural Communes) contains a large town. In most cases where towns and Communes coincide, Commune borders extend beyond built up areas and are, like the Communes of France on which they were based during the colonial period, an administrative structure. Unlike French Communes, they are not the lowest level administrative structure of the nation.
CARTE ÉLECTORALE GÉNÉRALE DU MALI, La Délégation Générale aux Elections, Republique du Mali. Listing of every Cercle in Mali, with subpages showing each Commune and a list of polling place (villages, quartiers) for each commune. As of 2007 elections.
