Gourma-Rharous

Gourma-Rharous
Commune and town
The Niger River at Gourma Rharous
Gourma-Rharous
Location in Mali
Coordinates: 16°52′48″N 1°55′26″W / 16.880°N 1.9238°W / 16.880; -1.9238
Country Mali
RegionTimbuktu
CercleGourma-Rharous Cercle
Area
  Total
7,000 km2 (3,000 sq mi)
Population
 (2009 Census)
  Total
26,115
  Density3.7/km2 (9.7/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)

Gourma-Rharous (French pronunciation: [ɡuʁma ʁaʁus]) or Rharous, is a rural commune and small town in the Timbuktu Region, Mali. The town is the administrative center (chef-lieu) of the Gourma-Rharous Cercle and lies on the right bank of the Niger River 110 km east of Timbuktu. The commune has an area of approximately 7,000 km2 and contains 29 villages. In the census of 2009 it had a population of 26,115. French singer Daniel Balavoine died in a helicopter crash in Gourma-Rharous as he was leading a fund-raising effort in Africa during the 1986 Dakar Rally.