Sankarani River

[5] The Sankarani River watershed, traditionally well suited to crops and rich in iron and gold, covers some 35,500 square kilometres (13,700 sq mi), two-thirds of which are in Guinea, where it is joined by three tributaries: the Kourai, Yeremou and Dion Rivers.

[6] Construction of the Sélingué Dam began in 1980, with the goal of supplying Bamako with electricity;[7][8] it was inaugurated on 13 December 1982.

[9] It and the accompanying hydroelectric plant comprised the largest development project in Malian history up to that time.

[5] The river banks support gallery forests, though the Selingue Dam's reservoir covered many of them.

[12] At the height of its power, from the 13th to 16th centuries CE, the capital of the ancient Mali Empire is believed to have been at Niani, on the banks of the Sankarani.