Goundam Circle is a second-level administrative subdivision of the Tombouctou Region in northern Mali. Its administrative center is the town of Goundam, although the most populous commune is that of Tonka. In the 2009 census, the circle had a population of 150,150.Although Goundam Cercle extends far into the north of Mali, the entire northern two thirds in covered by the inhospitable Sahara desert.