niger west africa
[38] Links with France remained deep, with Diori allowing the development of French-led uranium mining in Arlit and supporting France in the Algerian War. [21][22], The Neolithic era began circa 10,000 BC; this period saw a number of important changes, such as the introduction of pottery (as evidenced at Tagalagal, Temet and Tin Ouffadene), the spread of cattle husbandry, and the burying of the dead in stone tumuli. Historically, what is now Niger has been on the fringes of several large states. Both paramilitary forces are trained in military fashion and have some military responsibilities in wartime. Law enforcement in Niger is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense through the National Gendarmerie and the Ministry of the Interior through the National Police and the National Guard. A lack of adequate staff to guard wildlife in the parks and reserves is another factor cited for loss of wildlife.[90]. The typical mammal fauna consists of addax antelopes, scimitar-horned oryx, gazelles, and in the mountains, Barbary sheep. Additional education occurs through madrasas. The highest point is Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès in the Aïr Mountains at 2,022 m (6,634 ft). In 2013, Niger's government has adopted a zero-deficit budget of 1.279 trillion CFA francs ($2.53 billion) which is claimed to balance revenues and expenditures by an 11% reduction in the budget from the previous year. [19] The Zarma of the Dosso Kingdom in particular proved amenable to French rule, using them as allies against the encroachments of Hausa and other nearby states; over time the Zarma thus became one of the more educated and westernised groups in Niger. In peace time their duties are mostly policing duties. Niger is one of the largest inland countries in West Africa and is historically a gateway between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Niger, Africa, West Africa. Each of these communities, along with smaller ethnic groups like the pastoral Wodaabe Fula, brought their own cultural traditions to the new state of Niger. [112] Christianity was established earlier in the country by missionaries during the French colonial years. [38][64] In the early 1970s, a combination of economic difficulties, devastating droughts and accusations of rampant corruption and mismanagement of food supplies resulted in a coup d'état that overthrew the Diori regime. The reserve is…, Arakao ou la pince de crabe dans l'Aïr ©Richard Julia, De Tabelot à Timia dans l'Aïr ©Richard Julia, W National Park, Niger © Gray Tappan/USGS, Agricultural landscape in the commune of Tondikandia, Tillaberi © Suzanne Cotillon/SGT, Temet, Niger: a wadi in the Sahara © Michiel Kupers, Timia, Aïr Mountains, Niger © Michiel Kupers, The Deforestation of the Upper Guinean Forest, Transforming farmlands through farmer-managed re-greening: The success story in southern Niger, Food insecurity drives deforestation in the Tamou Total Faunal Reserve. [53][45] Bawo was the only son of the Hausa queen Daurama and Bayajidda or (Abu Yazid according to certain Nigerien historians) who came from Baghdad. [124] Children are often forced to work rather than attend school, particularly during planting or harvest periods. [61] The French Union, which lasted from 1946 to 1958, conferred a limited form of French citizenship on the inhabitants of the colonies, with some decentralisation of power and limited participation in political life for local advisory assemblies. [84], On 27 December 2020, Nigeriens went to the polls after Issoufou announced he would step down, paving the way to Niger's first ever peaceful transition of power. The longest border is with Nigeria to the south (1,497 km or 930 mi). Menu. The importance of external support for Niger's development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, derives from donor resources. West African franc (CFA) French, Hausa, Djerma, Fulfulde, Tamashek The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to much of Niger, and against all but essential travel to the remainder of the country. The capital is Niamey. See 2009 Nigerien constitutional crisis. [38] The sultanate remained nominally subject to the Borno Empire until the reign of Sultan Tanimoune Dan Souleymane in the mid-to-late 19th century, who declared independence and initiated a phase of vigorous expansion. It restored the semi-presidential system of government of the 1999 constitution (Fifth Republic) in which the president of the republic, elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term, and a prime minister named by the president share executive power. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects", World Economic Outlook Database, April 2018, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, "Latest Human Development Index (HDI) Ranking (2018)", "Azelik Takedda et le cuivre médiéval dans la région d'Agadez", Ancient cemetery found in 'green' Sahara Desert, "Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara, "Graves Found From Sahara's Green Period", "Lakeside Cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 Years of Holocene Population and Environmental Change". [124], The child mortality rate in Niger (deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 4) is high (248 per 1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children. [19] Formerly a small trading post inhabited by a mixture of Hausa and Tuaregs, the sultanate grew rich due to its strategic position on the Trans-Saharan trade routes. With two-thirds of the country lying within the Sahara Desert, it is one of the hottest countries in the world. For its first 14 years as an independent state Niger was run by a single-party civilian regime under the presidency of Hamani Diori. [19][38], To the east, the Kanem-Bornu Empire dominated the region around Lake Chad for much of this period. French, inherited from the colonial period, is the official language. These include the Hausa-speaking Maouri (or Azna, the Hausa word for "pagan") community in Dogondoutci in the south-southwest and the Kanuri speaking Manga near Zinder, both of whom practice variations of the pre-Islamic Hausa Maguzawa religion. Most of the people derive their income from agriculture and stock raising and are highly vulnerable to periodic droughts and desertification. [57] France then set about making a reality of their rule on the ground. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. Established by SERVIR-West Africa, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partner, the program is designed to encourage students, especially girls, in Niger to become more involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subject areas. [39][42] The empire began declining in the 15th century due to a combination of internecine strife over the royal succession, weak kings, the shift of European trade routes to the coast, and rebellions in the empire's periphery by Mossi, Wolof, Tuareg and Songhai peoples. The numbers of Animist practitioners are a point of contention. [102] The Zarma and Songhay dominate the Dosso, Tillabéri, and Niamey régions, the Hausa dominate the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions, Kanuri Manga dominate the Diffa region, and Touaregs dominate the Agadez region in Northern Niger.[109]. [38][77] The legislative and executive configuration remained quite similar to that of the first term of the president: Hama Amadou was reappointed as prime minister and Mahamane Ousmane, the head of the CDS party, was re-elected as the president of the National Assembly (parliament) by his peers. After the military coup in 2010, Niger became a democratic, multi-party state. In 1325 Songhai was conquered by Mali until regaining its independence in 1375. The river is the main source of freshwater and an important part of the economy through transportation and irrigation. Africa Imports is the largest wholesale supplier of Afrocentric and ethnic products in the US. [74] The elections were generally found to be free and fair by international observers. West Africa / West Africa Niger. Modern Muslim practice in Niger is often tied to the Tijaniya Sufi brotherhoods, although there are small minority groups tied to Hammallism and Nyassist Sufi orders in the west, and the Sanusiya in the far northeast. The Republic of Niger has a reputation for being the largest nation in West Africa, however, 80% of this land mass is covered by the Sahara desert. What is now Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: the Zarma and Songhai dominated the Niger River valley in the southwest; the northern periphery of Hausaland, made mostly of those states which had resisted the Sokoto Caliphate, and ranged along the long southern border with Nigeria; the Lake Chad basin and Kaouar in the far east, populated by Kanuri farmers and Toubou pastoralists who had once been part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire; and the Tuareg nomads of the Aïr Mountains and Saharan desert in the vast north. Niger has been a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie since 1970. Expanding from a population of 3.4 million in 1960, Niger's population has rapidly increased with a current growth rate of 3.3% (7.1 children per mother). Aside from Nigerien radio stations, the BBC's Hausa service is listened to on FM repeaters across wide parts of the country, particularly in the south, close to the border with Nigeria. [43][44][45] From 1000 to 1325, the Songhai Empire prospered and managed to maintain peace with the Mali Empire, its powerful neighbour to the west. As of 2006[update] there were 265 communes, including communes urbaines (Urban Communes: as subdivisions of major cities), communes rurales (Rural Communes), in sparsely populated areas and postes administratifs (Administrative Posts) for largely uninhabited desert areas or military zones. As of 2018[update], the population of Niger was 22,442,831[14][15]. [48] Attacks by the Bulala people in the late 14th century forced Kanem to shift westwards of Lake Chad, where it became known as the Bornu Empire, ruled from its capital Ngazargamu on the modern Niger-Nigeria border. [45][48], Circa 1730–40 a group of Kanuri settlers led by Mallam Yunus left Kanem and founded the Sultanate of Damagaram, centred on the town of Zinder. As a first step, administrative powers will be distributed among 265 communes (local councils); in later stages, regions and departments will be established as decentralized entities. [53][19][54] They gradually adopted Islam from the 14th century, though often this existed alongside traditional religions, developing into unique syncretic forms; some Hausa groups, such as the Azna, resisted Islam altogether (the area of Dogondoutchi remains an animist stronghold to this day). [38] However, perceived threats to French rule, such as the Kobkitanda rebellion in Dosso Region (1905–06), led by the blind cleric Alfa Saibou, and the Karma revolt in the Niger valley (December 1905–March 1906) led by Oumarou Karma were suppressed with force, as were the latter Hamallayya and Hauka religious movements. Niger River The Niger River is the principal river of West Africa, extending about 4,180 km.Its drainage basin is 2,117,700 km2 in area. [124], About 60 percent of children who finish primary schools are boys, as the majority of girls rarely attend school for more than a few years. Report on Human Rights Practices – Niger. Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara and Central Sudan. This site has the biggest selection anywhere of wholesale African clothing, African Black soaps, African artwork, African Musical instruments, and black skincare products. [38] When Europeans began exploring the region in the 19th century much of Agadez lay in ruins, and it was taken over, though with difficulty, by the French (see below). 41–60. The Niger River is the principal river of West Africa, extending about 4,180 km. Illegal hunting, bush fires in some areas and human encroachment upon the flood plains of the Niger River for paddy cultivation are environmental issues. Religious freedom is protected by Article 30 of the same constitution. [123] Primary education in Niger is compulsory for six years. The other two main religions of Niger are Christianity, practiced by 0.3% of the population, and Animism (traditional indigenous religious beliefs), practiced by 0.2% of the population. [59], The French generally adopted a form of indirect rule, allowing existing native structures to continue to exist within the colonial framework of governance providing that they acknowledged French supremacy. During this ceremony, young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, vying for the attention of marriageable young women. Dams constructed on the Niger River in the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea and also within Niger itself are also cited as a reason for a reduction of water flow in the Niger River—which has a direct effect upon the environment. Niger has ten recognized national languages, namely Arabic, Buduma, Fulfulde, Gourmanchéma, Hausa, Kanuri, Zarma & Songhay, Tamasheq, Tassawaq, Tebu. Thereafter Mali defeated the Sosso at the Battle of Kirina in 1235 and then Ghana in 1240. In 1897 the French officer Marius Gabriel Cazemajou was sent to Niger; he reached the Sultanate of Damagaram in 1898 and stayed in Zinder at the court of Sultan Amadou Kouran Daga—however he was later killed as Daga feared he would ally with the Chad-based warlord Rabih az-Zubayr. [86], On 31 March 2021, Niger’s security forces thwarted an attempted coup by a military unit in the capital, Niamey. [19], The Military Territory of Niger was subsequently created within the Upper Senegal and Niger colony (modern Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) in December 1904 with its capital at Niamey, then little more than a large village. Lewicki, T. (1994). The country is currently divided into 8 regions, which are subdivided into 36 districts (departments). Niger’s outgoing president wins $5m African leadership prize Mahamadou Issoufou awarded the 2020 Ibrahim Prize for leading his people on a ‘path of progress’. Niger has a population of 16,068,994 as at 2011 and this number is very much concentrated in the south and western parts of the country. The West African giraffe is currently not found in the W National Park, but further north in Niger, where it has its last relict population. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea. [62] On 11 July 1960, Niger decided to leave the French Community and acquired full independence on 3 August 1960; Diori thus became the first president of the country. By 2007, the relationship between President Tandja Mamadou and his prime minister had deteriorated, leading to the replacement of the latter in June 2007 by Seyni Oumarou following a successful vote of no confidence at the Assembly. South of the empires of the Niger River were coastal kingdoms, including the Ashanti and the Dahomey , which flourished during the colonial era. [27][28][29][30][31], Towards the end of this period, up till the first centuries AD, societies continued to grow and become more complex, with regional differentiation in agricultural and funerary practices. [38], The Fulani (also called Peul, Fulbe etc. [116] These small groups, linked to similar groups in Jos, Nigeria, came to public prominence in the 1990s during a series of religious riots.[117][118][119]. [20][19] It is thought that these early humans lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. [19][45] The Hausa kingdoms were not a compact entity but several federations of kingdoms more or less independent of one other. Niger remained a one-party state throughout this period, with Diori surviving a planned coup in 1963 and an assassination attempt in 1965; much of this activity was masterminded by Djibo Bakary's MSA-Sawaba group, which had launched an abortive rebellion in 1964. A majority of the population lives in rural areas and has little access to advanced education. Heavy gunfire was heard in the early hours near the country's presidential palace. [16] Many of the non-desert portions of the country are threatened by periodic drought and desertification. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. Government finance is derived revenue exports (Mining, oil and agricultural exports) as well as various forms of taxes collected by the government. [78][79] The opposition boycotted the referendum and the new constitution was adopted with 92.5% of voters and a 68% turnout, according to official results. Richard Gray, J. D. Fage, Roland Anthony Oliver, eds. Niger lies between latitudes 11° and 24°N, and longitudes 0° and 16°E. [69], The governmental paralysis prompted the military to intervene; on 27 January 1996, Col. Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara led a coup that deposed President Ousmane and ended the Third Republic. The High Court of Justice (HCJ) deals with cases involving senior government officials. U.S. exports to Niger include rice, vehicles, food-preparation goods, machinery, and fats and oils. There were several attempted coups (in 1975, 1976 and 1984) which were thwarted, their instigators being severely punished. Following the adoption of a new constitution in 2010 and presidential elections a year later, Mahamadou Issoufou was elected as the first president of the Seventh Republic; he was then re-elected in 2016. [98] The military court provides the same rights as civil criminal courts; however, customary courts do not. Its largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. [40], The Songhai Empire was named for its main ethnic group, the Songhai or Sonrai, and was centred on the bend of the Niger River in modern Mali. [38] The Saibou regime acquiesced to these demands by the end of 1990. The article will attempt to give you a quick rundown on this West African nation, here goes a list of 50 important facts about Niger that cover its history, culture, economy, people, military, wildlife and the river Niger. [40] At this point parts of what are now Niger's Tillabéri Region fell under Malian rule. A parliamentary election was held at the same time.[92][93][94]. Wanké then withdrew from governmental affairs.[38]. [130] Now Niamey contains scores of newspapers and magazines; some, like Le Sahel, are government operated, while many are critical of the government. [1] Each is spoken as a first language primarily by the ethnic group with which it is associated. Niger's area is 1,267,000 square kilometres (489,191 sq mi) of which 300 square kilometres (116 … International human rights groups have criticised the government since at least 1996 as using regulation and police to punish criticism of the state. [54] A smaller state not fitting into this scheme was Konni, centred on Birni-N'Konni. From 29 July to 3 November, a national conference gathered together all elements of society to make recommendations for the future direction of the country. [48][49] The kingdom reached its greatest extent in the 1200s, largely thanks to the effort of Mai Dunama Dibbalemi (r. 1210–1259), and grew rich from its control of many Trans-Saharan trade routes; much of eastern and south-eastern Niger, notably Bilma and Kaouar, was under Kanem's control in this period. [57] The three eventually met at Kousséri (in the far north of Cameroon) and defeated Rabih az-Zubayr's forces at the Battle of Kousséri. Niger has the 11th highest maternal mortality rate in the world at 820 deaths/100,000 live births. [43][45], In c. 1449 in the north of what is now Niger, the Sultanate of Aïr was founded by Sultan Ilisawan, based in Agadez. There are also some tiny Boudouma and Songhay animist communities in the southwest.[113]. Alternative Titles: République du Niger, Republic of Niger. In. [36][37] This mobility, which would continue in waves for several centuries, was accompanied with further migration to the south and intermixing between sub-Saharan African and North African populations, as well as the gradual spread of Islam. NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger has sworn in its new president in the West African nation’s first democratic transfer of power. [19], Several European countries already possessed littoral colonies in Africa, and in the latter half of the century they began to turn their eyes towards the interior of the continent. Despite a number of high-profile kidnappings the rebellion had largely fizzled out inconclusively by 2009. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Nigerien – definition of Nigerien in English from the Oxford Dictionaries", "Report for Selected Country Groups and Subjects (PPP valuation of country GDP)", World Economic Outlook Database, January 2018, "World Economic Outlook Database. Seven countries border Niger. [38] Though it remained something of a backwater, some limited economic development took place in Niger during the colonial years, such as the introduction of groundnut cultivation. An attempted coup against him in 2011 was thwarted and its ringleaders arrested. While USAID does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $10 million each year to Niger's development. [38] A puppet sultan was set up by the French and the decline and marginalisation of the north of the colony continued, exacerbated by a series of droughts. [19] In prehistoric times the climate of the Sahara desert was much wetter and more fertile than it is today, a phenomenon archaeologists refer to as the 'Green Sahara', which provided favourable conditions for hunting and later agriculture and livestock herding. The military took over the country and President Tandja was put in prison, charged with corruption. This process, known as the 'Scramble for Africa', culminated in the 1885 Berlin conference in which the colonial powers outlined the division of Africa into spheres of influence. The MSA was banned in 1959 for its perceived excessive anti-French stance. [19][38][60] Though largely successful in subduing the sedentary populations of the south, the French faced considerably more difficulty with the Tuareg in the north (centered on the Sultanate of Aïr in Agadez), and France was unable to occupy Agadez until 1906. [53] Some of the Hausa states survived by fleeing south, such as the Katsina who moved to Maradi in the south of modern Niger. The majority of Muslims in Niger are Sunni, 7% are Shi'a, 5% are Ahmadiyya and 20% non-denominational. [38] The political environment worsened in the following year as President Tandja Mamadou sought out to extend his presidency by modifying the constitution which limited presidential terms in Niger. Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa that is named after the Niger River. [19] The border with Britain's colony of Nigeria to the south was finalised in 1910, a rough delimitation having already been agreed by the two powers via several treaties during the period 1898–1906. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}16°N 8°E / 16°N 8°E / 16; 8. Radio France Internationale also rebroadcasts in French through some of the commercial stations, via satellite. Their history does not fit easily within the modern boundaries of Niger, which were created during the period of European colonialism; the following adopts a roughly chronological account of the main empires. As a result of an autochthonous process called farmer- managed…, The Tamou Total Faunal Reserve was created in 1962 to serve as a buffer zone for the W National Park of Niger and for the large transboundary W Regional Park that it is a part of. [38] General Saibou became the first president of the Second Republic after winning the presidential election on 10 December 1989. The National Assembly passed in June 2002 a series of decentralization bills. [38] A Second Republic was declared and a new constitution was drawn up, which was adopted following a referendum in 1989. [19] Some of these finds have been linked with the Aterian and Mousterian tool cultures of the Middle Paleolithic period, which flourished in northern Africa circa 90,000 BC-20,000 BC. The westernmost regions of Niger are joined with contiguous regions of Mali and Burkina Faso under the Liptako-Gourma Authority. Every year since 1990, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has prepared and released a report analyzing the state of development across the world’s nations. It is an annual traditional courtship ritual practiced by the Wodaabe (Fula) people of Niger. Niger, officially Republic of Niger, French République du Niger, landlocked western African country. The W National Park, situated in the bordering area to Burkina Faso and Benin, belongs to one of the most important areas for wildlife in Western Africa, which is called the WAP (W–Arli–Pendjari) Complex. The chief administrator (governor) in each department is appointed by the government and functions primarily as the local agent of the central authorities. The pre-2002 departments (renamed as regions) and capital district are: The economy of Niger centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. This is followed by Chad to the east, at 1,175 km (730 mi), Algeria to the north-northwest (956 km or 594 mi), and Mali at 821 km (510 mi). [45] Many of these surviving states harassed the Caliphate and a long period of small-scale wars and skirmishes commenced, with some states (such as Katsina and Gobir) maintaining independence, whereas elsewhere new ones were formed (such as the Sultanate of Tessaoua).