[2] It became, in 1887, the center of the first cercle put in place in the French Sudan, and later the site of one of the earliest colonial schools, where Fily Dabo Sissoko and Mamadou Konaté would study.

While now deprecated, the commune retains the same boundaries, extending far beyond the town of Bafoulabé, its seat (chef-lieu).

The rainy season lasts from June to October, and the average annual precipitation is 900 mm (~35.43 in).

[4] The Sahelian landscape of the Commune is made up of grasslands punctuated by trees, often large.

The construction of the Dakar Bamako railway in the early 20th century bypassed the river trade, making Kayes the center of commercial activity in the area.

Fily Dabo Sissoko, writer and one of the founding fathers of independent Mali, was a native of Bafoulabé.