Niamey
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Niamey (Template:IPA) is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey's population was 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. In 2017, population projections showed the capital district growing at a slower rate than Niger as a whole, which has the world's highest fertility rate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the river's east bank. The city is located in a pearl millet growing region, and its manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement, and weaving.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
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Probably, Niamey originated in the 18th century as a cluster of small villages (Gaweye, Kalley, Maourey, Zongo and Foulani Koira).<ref name="Bradt">Geels, Jolijn, (2006) Bradt Travel Guide - Niger, pgs. 93-113</ref> Niamey was of little importance until the French developed it as a colonial centre in the late 1890s. The town, then with an estimated population of some 1,800, was chosen as the capital of the newly created Military Territory of Niger in 1905, however, the capital was shifted to the more established city of Zinder in 1912.<ref name="Bradt"/> Zinder's proximity to the Nigerian border and distance from French-controlled ports prompted the French to move the capital back to Niamey in 1926, by which time the city had some 3,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Bradt"/> A series of devastating droughts prompted influx from the countryside into the city, leading to significant population growth, and by 1945 the population was about 8,000.<ref name="Bradt"/>
Prior to 1926-27 the Upper Volta-Niger border ran along the Niger river, meaning that Niamey lay directly on the boundary.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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At the time of independence in 1960 the population had grown to around 30,000.<ref>Britannica, Niamey, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019</ref><ref name=sahel20110701>Assane Seydou Sanda-elu-maire-de-la-ville-de-niamey&catid=34:actualites&Itemid=53 Installation du Conseil de ville de Niamey et élection des membres : M. Assane Seydou Sanda, élu maire de la ville de Niamey. Laouali Souleymane, Le Sahel (Niamey). 1 July 2011</ref><ref name="Bradt"/> The period from 1970 to 1988 was one in which the economy of Niger boomed, driven by revenue from the uranium mines at Arlit. As a result, the population of Niamey grew from 108,000 to 398,365 inhabitants and the city expanded from Template:Cvt in 1970 to Template:Cvt by 1977, in the process annexing peripheral villages such as Lazaret.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Continuing droughts also caused many rural Nigeriens to move to the growing city.<ref name="Bradt"/>
In 1992 Niamey and its immediate hinterland were split off from Niamey Region to form the much smaller Niamey Capital District, enclaved within the new Tillabéri Region.<ref name="Statsoid">According to Statsoid Template:Webarchive: "~1992: Tillabéry Region split from Niamey (whose FIPS code was NG05 before the change). Status of Niamey changed from Region to capital district."</ref>
On April 9, 1999, Niger President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara was ambushed, shot and killed during Nigerien coup d'état by soldiers, reportedly members of the Presidential Guard at the Diori Hamani International Airport as he was going to board a helicopter.
By some estimates, the population had reached 700,000 in 2000.<ref name="Bradt"/> In 2011, government press estimated the total urban population at over 1.5 million. A major cause of the increase has been in migration for work and during droughts, as well as a high birth rate.<ref name=sahel20110701 /> This last factor means that demographically a majority of the city's citizens are young people.<ref name=sahel20110701 />
In July 2023, the Niger junta began renaming street names from the colonial era to more local names, such as replacing the name of Charles de Gaulle with that of Bakary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The same month, the junta's leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, declared the dissolution of local governments, replacing the mayor of Niamey, Oumarou Dogari, with an army official.<ref name="AFP 2024">Template:Cite news</ref> The same month, hundreds rallied in Niamey to demand the withdrawal of the US military from the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The US withdrew from its base in Niamey in July 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
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Covering an area of Template:Cvt (Template:As of),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> the metropolitan area sits atop two plateaux reaching Template:Cvt in altitude, bisected by the Niger River. At Niamey, the river, running almost straight SSE from Gao, Mali, makes a series of wide bends. The city grew on the east ("left bank") of the river as it meanders from west to east flow to run almost directly south. A series of marshy islands begin at Niamey and extend south in the river.Template:Citation needed
The vast majority of the population and government and commercial buildings are located on the eastern bank of the river. The very centre of the centre contains a number of wide boulevards linking roundabouts. Two bridges connect the two sides - the Kennedy Bridge and the Friendship Bridge. The western bank area consists mainly of residential areas such as Gaweye, Saguia, Lamorde, Saga, and Karadje, as well as Abdou Moumouni University.Template:Citation needed
Climate
[edit]The climate is hot and semi-arid (Köppen climate classification BSh), with an expected rainfall of between Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt a year, mostly beginning with a few storms in May, then a transition to a rainy season, usually lasting from sometime in June to early September, when the rains taper off rather quickly. Most of the rainfall is from late June to mid-September. There is practically no rain from October to April. Niamey is remarkably hot throughout the year. In fact, it is one of the world's hottest major cities. Average monthly high temperatures reach Template:Cvt four months out of the year and in no month do average high temperatures fall below Template:Cvt. During the dry season, particularly from November through February, nights are generally cool. Average nighttime lows between November and February range from Template:Cvt.
Demographics
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Niamey's population has grown rapidly since independence - the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city.<ref name="Statsoid"/> Under the military government of General Seyni Kountché, there were strict controls on residency and the government would regularly round up and "deport" those without permits back to their villages.<ref name="Gilliard & Pédenon">Template:Cite journal</ref> The growing freedoms of the late 1980s and 1990s, along with the Tuareg Rebellion of the 1990s and famine in the 2000s, have reinforced this process of internal migration, with large informal settlements appearing on the outskirts of the city. Noticeable in the city's centre since the 1980s are groups of poor, young, or handicapped beggars.Template:Citation needed Within the richer or more trafficked neighbourhoods, these beggars have in fact formed a well-regulated hierarchical system in which beggars garner sadaka according to cultural and religious norms.<ref name="Gilliard & Pédenon" />
In the 1990s, the capital district population growth rate was lower than the torrid national rate, suggesting large rural migration (urbanization) was negligible in Niger, there is an undercount, and/or the government's forced urban to rural deportations were effective.<ref name="Gilliard & Pédenon" />
Culture and architecture
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A major attraction in the city is the Niger National Museum, which incorporates a zoo, a museum of vernacular architecture, a craft centre, and exhibits including dinosaur skeletons and the Tree of Ténéré. Other places of interest include the American, French and Nigerien cultural centres, seven major market centres (including the large Niamey Grand Market), a traditional wrestling arena, and a horse racing track. Most of the colourful pottery sold in Niamey is hand made in the nearby village of Boubon.Template:Citation needed
The Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre (MGICC) was built in Niamey jointly by India and Niger.
In December 2005, it was the host of the Jeux de la Francophonie.
Places of worship
[edit]Niger being a predominantly Muslim country, mosques are the most common places of worship, with the Grande Mosquée being the largest in the city. There are also various Christian churches, most notably Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Niamey, and the Cathedral de Maourey.<ref>J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 2103</ref><ref name="Bradt"/>
Governance
[edit]Administration
[edit]Niamey makes up a special capital district of Niger, which is surrounded by the Region of Tillabéri.
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The city of Niamey itself is governed as an autonomous first-level administrative block, the Niamey Urban Community (Fr. Communauté Urbaine de Niamey, or CUN). It is a co-equal first division subdivision with the seven Regions of Niger. The Niamey Urban Community includes an administration and Governor appointed by national leaders.<ref name=sahel20110701 /> Like the rest of Niger, Niamey has seen a decentralisation of governance since 2000. Government Ordinance n°2010–56 and Presidential Decree n°2010-679 of September 2010 mandated an elected City Council for the city of Niamey, subsumed under the CUN. This excludes some outlying areas of the CUN.<ref name=sahel20110701 /> Forty-five councillors are popularly elected and in turn elect the Mayor of the City of Niamey. In July 2011, the first Mayor under the new system, Oumarou Dogari Moumouni, was installed by the Governor of the CUN Mrs. Aïchatou Boulama Kané and the City Council.<ref name=sahel20110701 /> The City Council and Mayor have limited roles compared to the CUN Governor. Niamey has a third layer of government in the Commune system. Each Commune elects its own council, and outside major cities, these function like independent cities. Niamey and other major cities have been, since the advent of decentralisation, developing co-ordination of Commune governments in large cities made up of multiple Communes.<ref name=sahel20110701 /> Under Law No. 2002-15, passed on 11 June 2002, the CUN contains five urban communes.<ref name="INS 2023" />
Divisions
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The CUN is divided into five communes. The urban area of the CUN is organised into 90 quartiers, and the rural area is organised into 37 attached villages, Template:As of.<ref name="INS 2023" />
| Commune | Quartiers<ref name="INS 2023" /> | Villages<ref name="INS 2023" /> |
|---|---|---|
| Niamey I | 18 | 8 |
| Niamey II | 22 | 5 |
| Niamey III | 16 | 7 |
| Niamey IV | 23 | 10 |
| Niamey V | 11 | 8 |
The CUN includes land where there were formerly several surrounding towns and villages which the city of Niamey has now annexed. These include Soudouré, Lamordé, Gamkallé, Yantala, and Gaweye.<ref name="Decalo1997" />
Until 1998, all of greater Niamey was part of Tillabéri Region, which prior to 1992 was named the Niamey Department. The CUN remains surrounded on all sides by Tillabéri Region.<ref name="Decalo1997">Template:Cite book pp. 225–227</ref>
Transport
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Niamey is served by the Diori Hamani International Airport, located 12 km southeast of the city, and is crossed by the RN1 highway. Niamey railway station, officially inaugurated in April 2014, is the first one built in Niger.<ref>Template:In lang "Inauguration of the first train station in Niamey" (Radio France Internationale)</ref><ref>"Template:Sic 80 Year-long Wait: Niger Gets its First Train Station" (Global Voices Online)</ref> Boats are also used to travel the Niger River.<ref name="Bradt"/>
Education
[edit]The city is the site of the National School of Administration, Abdou Moumouni University, the Higher Institute of Mining, Industry and Geology which lies on the right bank of the river, and many institutes (Centre Numérique de Niamey, IRD, ICRISAT, Hydrologic Institute, etc.) Niamey hosts the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other educational institutions include Lycée d'Excellence de Niamey, a public secondary school.<ref name="fasoexcellence.org">Template:Cite web.</ref>
Notable people
[edit]References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]External links
[edit]- Template:Wikivoyage inline
- Niger Assemblee Nationale Template:Webarchive official website
Template:Niamey Template:Regions and departments of Niger Template:Communes of Niger Template:List of African capitals Template:Niger River Template:Authority control