Niamey Introduction

Niamey, population 674,950 (2002 census), is the capital of Niger It is Niger's largest city, lying at the Niger River, mostly on the right bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic center. Niamey is located at 13°31'17" North, 2°6'19" East (13.521389, 2.105278).

The city is located in a peanut growing region, while manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement and weaving.an aerial view of Niamey

Niamey was probably founded in the eighteenth century, but was of little importance to most of the country until the French developed a colonial post in the 1890s. This rapidly grew into an important centre. In 1926 it became the capital of Niger, and the population gradually increased, from about 3,000 in 1930 to around 30,000 in 1960, 250,000 in 1980 and - by some estimates - 800,000 in 2000. The major cause of the increase has been in-migration during droughts.

Niamey Weather

Niger, one of the hottest countries in the world, has three basic climatic zones: the Saharan desert in the north, the Sahel to the south of the desert, and the Sudan in the southwest corner. The intense heat of the Saharan zone often causes the scant rainfall to evaporate before it hits the ground; at Bilma, in the east, annual rainfall is only 2 cm (0.79 in). On the average, rainfall in the Aïr Massif is limited to a maximum of 25 cm (10 in) annually, and most of it comes during a single two-month period. At Agadez, in the northern Sahel, annual rainfall averages 16.5 cm (6.5 in), but yearly totals often vary greatly. In the south, rainfall is higher. It averages 56 cm (22 in) at Niamey, in the southern Sahel, and 87 cm (34 in) at Gaya, in the Sudanese zone. The rainy season is from May through October, with most rain in July and August. At Niamey, the average maximum daily temperature fluctuates from 31°C (88°F) in August to 41°C (106°F) in April. Nights are cool (below 20° C /68°F) from November to February.

Niamey Attractions

Attractions in the city include the Niger National Museum, incorporating a zoo, a museum of vernacular architecture, a craft centre, and exhibits including dinosaur skeletons and the Tree of Tenéré. There are also American, French and Nigerien cultural centres, two major markets, and a traditional wrestling arena. The city is also the site of Diori Hamani International Airport, the National School of Administration, Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, lying at the left bank of the river, and many institutes (Centre numerique de Niamey, IRD, Hidrologic Institute, etc.) In December 2005 it was the host of the Jeux de la Francophonie. Attractions in the city include the Niger National Museum, incorporating a zoo, a museum of vernacular architecture, a craft centre, and exhibits including dinosaur skeletons and the Tree of Tenéré. There are also American, French and Nigerien cultural centres, two major markets, and a traditional wrestling arena. The city is also the site of Diori Hamani International Airport, the National School of Administration, Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, lying at the left bank of the river, and many institutes (Centre numerique de Niamey, IRD, Hidrologic Institute, etc.) In December 2005 it was the host of the Jeux de la Francophonie. Grand Marche, Niamey This is the largest of the five Niamey markets, with every kind of ware from food to cloth and jewelry. Attraction type: Flea/street market National Museum of Niger (Musee National du Niger), Niamey This art museum, a repository of Nigerian culture, also contains a library. Attraction type: Art museum

Niamey History

NIAMEY CAPITAL (French R?publique du Niger), republic in western Africa, bounded on the north by Algeria and Libya, on the east by Chad, on the south by Nigeria and Benin, and on the west by Burkina Faso and Mali. It has a total area of 1,267,000 sq km (489,200 sq mi).

A French fort since 1902, Niamey succeeded as capital of the military territory. From 1927 to 1958 it served as capital of the autonomous Niger Territory. Founded at an unknown time as Niamma, it was later called Niame until the arrival of the French. Population (1988) 398,265.The central zone, known as the Sahel, (Desertification of the Sahel has been sped up by an extended drought between the late 1960s and early 1980s, the worst in 150 years, and the stress of increasing human and livestock populations. Desertification, whereby soil loses its ability to retain moisture and allows deserts to encroach on arable land, is shrinking the size of the Sahel and causing famine in much of the region.) is semiarid and lightly wooded. The southern zone is a fertile, forested area that benefits from adequate rainfall and, in the southwest, from the periodic overflow of the Niger river, virtually the only river in the country. On the southeast, the nation borders on one of the largest lakes of the continent, the shallow Lake Chad, a water mass of varying volume, depending on the season of the year and the rainfall.

The Niger originates in the highlands of southern Guinea near Guinea's border with Sierra Leone. Several tributaries, including the Milo, Sankarani, Mafou, Niandan, and Tinkisso, join the Niger as it flows northeast through Guinea and into Mali. The well-defined valley of the upper Niger gives way to a broad, level floodplain downstream from Bamako, near S?gou. There, the waters of the Niger and its tributary, the Bani, spread out over an inland delta that covers 20,000 sq km (7700 sq mi). Floodwaters move through a maze of channels, filling low-lying basins and replenishing several lakes, among them Lakes D?bo, Faguibine, and Do. In the process, most of the Niger's water evaporates or is absorbed by the ground, leaving the river much diminished in size beyond the inland delta.