Mandiana

Mandiana lies in the southern Manding country, east of the upper Niger and among the tributaries that drain towards it. The wider Upper Guinea basin has long been known for gold, washed from the deposits of rivers and their valleys. Farming settlements occupy the wooded savanna around the waterways, while routes through the region connect them with the gold-bearing country of Bouré and the markets of the Niger basin. Mande-speaking communities have been central to the history of this inland region.