Illela, Niger is a town and urban
commune in
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
.
Geography
Illéla is located in the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
zone on the edge of the Ader Doutchi mountain landscape. The neighboring municipalities of Illéla are
Bambeye in the north,
Badaguichiri in the northeast,
Tajaé in the southeast,
Alléla in the south and
Bagaroua
Bagaroua is a village, rural commune and department in Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya†...
in the west.
The urban area is divided into 14 urban districts and a rural part with 69 villages and 34 hamlets. The 14 districts are Azna, Azna Zaroumèye, Baïtché, Dabagawa, Dabsaou, Illéla (Kétaré), Illéla Kétaré, Illéla Nassarawa, Illéla Toudou, Kétaré, Nassaraoua, Toudou, Toudou (neighborhood) and Zaroumèye.
The city center is at an altitude of 312 m. The larger villages in the rural municipality include Toullou, Dafawa, Dangona and Dandadji.
History
Illéla was founded by
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the place became the capital of the Ader province of the
Sultanate of Agadez
The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr, Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben") was a Berber kingdom centered first in the city of Agadez (initially, in the village of Tadaliza) in the Aïr Mountains, located at the southern edge o ...
instead of
Birni Ader. Serki n’Ader served here as governor of the Sultan. When the province broke up into several parts at the end of the 19th century, the serki n'Ader of Illéla only controlled a small area in western Ader.
Illéla fell to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
at the beginning of the 20th century. The local market was one of the small markets in the region that were permitted by the French administration at the time. The British travel writer
A. Henry Savage Landor visited the villages of Illéla, Agourmi, Dangona and Daouréré in 1906 as part of his twelve-month journey across Africa. He described the large Hausa granaries in Illéla, built in various designs.
In 1960, the year of Niger's independence, Illéla became the capital of the Illéla district, from which the Arrondissement of Illéla emerged in 1964 and the department of Illéla in 1998. The village of Dagona in the municipality of Illéla was one of the most affected places in the country during the
2005/06 hunger crisis in Niger. Here the population had less than one meal a day..
In the
2010 West African floods, over 2000 residents of Illéla were impacted.
Demographics
At the 2012 census, the municipality had a population of 142,214 living in 22,684 households. The majority of the population is
Hausa (80%), followed by Tuareg (8%) and
Fulani (2%).
Sights
The city's sights include the ruler's palace of Illéla and the mosque in the village of Libatan Mallameye.
References
La Commune urbaine d'Illéla dans la région de Tahoua : une solide organisation sociale traditionnelle Dubois Touraoua, ONEP Tahoua-Agadez,
Le Sahel, 2011-07-07.
Illéla veut dire «Venir pour s'épanouir» Dubois Touraoua, ONEP Tahoua-Agadez,
Le Sahel, 2011-07-07.
Communes of Niger
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