Dosso is a city in the south-west corner of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesNiamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...

at the junction of the main routes to

Zinder Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);

and

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. The eighth-most populous town in Niger and the largest in

Dosso Region Dosso is one of the eight Regions of Niger. The region has an area of , with a population of 2,078,339 as of 2011. History The region of Dosso is the historic centre of the Dosso Kingdom, which had its capital at Dosso. Today the palace of t ...

, it had an official population during the 2001 census of 43,561. The population grew to 58,671 in the 2012 census. It is the capital of its region - which covers five departments in the southwestern corner of the nation - as well as of its own department,

Dosso Department Dosso is a department of the Dosso Region in Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

. The city itself lies at the centre of its own Urban Commune.

History

Dosso is the seat of the Dosso kingdom, a Zarma chieftaincy which rose to dominate the entire Zarma region in Niger in pre-colonial Niger. The traditional ruler is called '' Zarmakoy'' or ''Djermakoy'' of Dosso, an autochthonous title meaning literally "King of Djermas" where ''koy'' means "king" in Zarma (or Djerma) language.

Sites

Attractions in the town include the Djermakoy's palace and museum, nominated as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2006.

Transport

Road: The city of Dosso is a commercial hub for trade between Niamey and the towns of eastern Niger, as well as Benin.
Rail: between 2014 and 2016 a rail link was built between Dosso and

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...

by the French

Bolloré Bolloré SE () is a French conglomerate headquartered in Puteaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, France. Founded in 1822, the company has interests in Vivendi, international freight forwarding, oil storage and pipelines in France, solid sta ...

conglomerate. The objective was to connect Niamey to the rail network in

and thus to the coast. But competing commercial interests by several parties resulted in endless litigation and the connection to Benin never materialized. So the 145 km Niamey-Dosso stretch now lies orphaned and unused, with the tracks ending in the middle of nowhere some 6 km south of Dosso. After 5 years of neglect the tracks are already damaged to such an extent in some places, that they have become unusable.
Customs: There is a plan for the construction of a dry commercial port.
Air: Dosso has a small airport with a single non-tarmacked airstrip. The runway has a length of 1189 m. Its ICAO code is DRRD.See: http://www.gcmap.com/airport/DRRD There are no regular flights.

Notable residents

* Rabiou Guero Gao – Olympic long-distance runner for Niger * Zakari Gourouza – first Nigerien Olympic judoka

References

Sources

* James Decalo. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger''. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen. NJ – London (1979)

External links

WorldStatesmen – Niger

pbase.com:Images of Dosso city
Communes of Niger Dosso Region Capitals of former nations {{Niger-geo-stub