French Sudan
| French Sudan Soudan français |
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| Constituent of French West Africa | |||||
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Anthem La Marseillaise • Le Mali (instrumental only) |
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 Lime: French West Africa Dark gray: Other French possessions Darkest gray: French Republic |
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| Capital | Bamako¹ | ||||
| Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||
| • | Established | c. 1880 | |||
| • | Federated with Senegal | 20 June 1960 | |||
| Area | |||||
| • | 1959 | 1,241,238 km2(479,245 sq mi) | |||
| Population | |||||
| • | 1959 | 4,407,000 | |||
| Density | 3.6 /km2 (9.2 /sq mi) | ||||
| ¹ Kayes (1892–1899) | |||||
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French Sudan (French: Soudan Français; Arabic: السودان الفرنسي as-Sūdān al-Faransī) was a French colonial territory in the federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formally called French Sudan from 1890 until 1899 and then again from 1921 until 1958, and had a variety of different names over the course of its existence. The colony was initially established largely as a military project led by French troops, but in the mid-1890s it came under civilian administration.
A number of administrative reorganizations in the early 1900s brought increasing French administration over issues like agriculture, religion, and slavery. Following World War II, the African Democratic Rally (RDA) under Modibo Keita became the most significant political force pushing for independence.
Mali initially retained close connections with France and joined in a short-lived federation with Senegal in 1959, but ties to both countries quickly weakened. In 1960, the French Sudan colony formally became the Republic of Mali and began to distance itself further from Senegal and France.
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