Ségou (French pronunciation: [seɡu]; Bambara: ߛߋߜ߭ߎ߫, Segu) is a town and an urban commune in south-central Mali that lies 235 kilometres (146 mi) northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger.

In the middle of the 19th century there were four villages with the name of Ségou spread out over a distance of around 12 km (7.5 mi) along the right bank of the river.

The 11th century CE saw an influx of the Soninke people, who were trying to escape from the collapse of the Ghana Empire, with Mandinka populations following.

[citation needed] Around 1650 Kaladian Coulibaly overthrew the ruling Koita dynasty and established a powerful if short-lived kingdom with Ségou-Koro as capital.

[7] At this time Segou was capital of the Bambara Empire,[8][9] and a distinct urban architecture began to emerge at Ségou Koro, including mosques.

[6][10] In 1766 Ngolo Diarra, a former slave and warrior, took control the Bambara Empire and inaugurated a period of prosperity.

[6] Mungo Park, passing through Segou in 1797 recorded a testament to the Empire's prosperity: The view of this extensive city, the numerous canoes on the river, the crowded population, and the cultivated state of the surrounding countryside, formed altogether a prospect of civilization and magnificence that I little expected to find in the bosom of Africa.

[15] After years of tensions and conflict, Segou was conquered by the French when forces led by Colonel Louis Archinard entered the town on April 6, 1890.

[12][16] France attempted indirectly ruling Ségou until March 13, 1893, when they incorporated the town as the capital of a local cercle.

[12] The commune is subdivided into 15 quartiers: Alamissani, Angoulême, Bagadadji, Bougoufié, Comatex, Dar Salam, Hamdallaye, Médine, Mission Catholique, Missira, Ségou Coura, Sido Soninkoura, Somono, Sokalakono, Bananissabakoro.

The town of Ségou itself is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including the Malinke, the Soninke, the Fulani, and the Toucouleur, due to its complex history and status as a regional commercial center.

[citation needed] Bozo people have a monopoly on the transport system because of their knowledge of the Niger, its shallows and seasonal lakes, and are regarded as the masters of water.

[citation needed] The Somono, a group known to specialize in fishing and boating, are largely concentrated in Ségou and its surroundings.

The most famous Ségou handcrafts are based on pottery, weaving (blankets, wrappers and carpets), manufacturing of Bogolan (a distinctive variation of Mud cloth), painting and sculpture.

Women make the pottery by hand with the clay coming from the Niger River and bring the finished works to the local Monday market.

[22] This festival celebrates music and the arts and culture of the Bambara people, and includes the Caravane culturelle de la paix since 2013.

Commerce consists mostly of the small scale exchange and sale of products from the primary sector, sold weekly at the large Sudano-Sahelian market, drawing customers from far outside of the city.

The main products sold are vegetables, pottery, cotton, leather, fruit, ovens, cattle and cereals.

Maryse Condé's historical novel Segu tells the city's history from 1797 to its 1860 defeat by El Hajj Oumar Tall's army.