map of Niger
Niger or the Niger (/niːˈʒɛər/ or /ˈnaɪdʒər/; French: [niʒɛʁ]), officially the Republic of the Niger, (Hausa: Jamhuriyar Nijar, Zarma/Songhai: Nigér Laabo, Tamajaq: ⵜⴰⴶⴷⵓⴷⴰ ⵏ ⵏⵉⵌⵢⵔ, Arabic: جمهورية النيجر) is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. Niger is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km2 (490,000 sq mi), making it the second-largest landlocked country in West Africa (behind Chad). Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert. The country's predominantly Muslim population of about 22 million live mostly in clusters in the far south and west of the country. The capital and largest city is Niamey, located in Niger's southwest corner.Niger is a developing country, which consistently ranks near the bottom in the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI); it was ranked 187th of 188 countries for 2015 and 189th out of 189 countries in the 2018 and 2019 reports. Many of the non-desert portions of the country are threatened by periodic drought and desertification. The economy is concentrated around subsistence agriculture, with some export agriculture in the more fertile south, and export of raw materials, especially uranium ore. Niger faces serious challenges to development due to its landlocked position, desert terrain, inefficient agriculture, high fertility rates without birth control and resulting overpopulation, the poor educational level and poverty of its people, lack of infrastructure, poor healthcare, and environmental degradation.
Nigerien society reflects a diversity drawn from the long independent histories of its several ethnic groups and regions and their relatively short period living in a single state. Historically, what is now Niger has been on the fringes of several large states. Since independence, Nigeriens have lived under five constitutions and three periods of military rule. After the military coup in 2010, Niger became a democratic, multi-party state. A majority of the population lives in rural areas and has little access to advanced education. Niger is divided into 7 Regions and one capital district. These Regions are subdivided into 36 departments. The 36 Departments are currently broken down into Communes of varying types. As of 2006 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.
Rural communes may contain official villages and settlements, while Urban Communes are divided into quarters. Niger subvisions were renamed in 2002, in the implementation of a decentralisation project, first begun in 1998. Previously, Niger was divided into 7 Departments, 36 Arrondissements, and Communes. These subdivisions were administered by officials appointed by the national government. These offices will be replaced in the future by democratically elected councils at each level.
The pre-2002 departments (renamed as regions) and capital district are:
Agadez Region
Diffa Region
Dosso Region
Maradi Region
Tahoua Region
Tillabéri Region
Zinder Region
Niamey (capital district)
Largest cities and towns
Further information: List of cities in Niger
Largest cities or towns in Niger
According to the 2012 Census[104]
Rank Name Region Pop.
Niamey
Niamey
Maradi
Maradi 1 Niamey Niamey 978,029 Zinder
Zinder
Tahoua
Tahoua
2 Maradi Maradi 267,249
3 Zinder Zinder 235,605
4 Tahoua Tahoua 117,826
5 Agadez Agadez 110,497
6 Arlit Agadez 78,651
7 Birni-N'Konni Tahoua 63,169
8 Dosso Dosso 58,671
9 Gaya Dosso 45,465
10 Tessaoua Maradi mapa de Niger Africa