Zinder Region is one of the seven
regions of Niger
Niger is divided into eight regions (French: ''régions;'' singular''région)'', each of which is named after its capital.
Current regions
*Additionally, the national capital, Niamey, comprises a special capital district.
Current administrativ ...
; the capital of the region is
Zinder
Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census); . The region covers 145,430 km². It is the most populous province of Niger.
History
Numerous Palaeolithic and Neolithic remains, as well as cave paintings, have been found in the
Termit Massif
The Termit Massif (Termit Mountains or simply the Termit) is a mountainous region in southeastern Niger. Just to the south of the dunes of Tenere desert and the Erg of Bilma, the northern areas of the Termit, called the Gossololom consists of b ...
.
Zinder was the centre of the
Sultanate of Damagaram
The Sultanate of Damagaram was a Muslim pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder.
History
Rise
The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731 (near Mirriah, modern Niger) by Muslim Kanouri arist ...
, a powerful sultanate which dominated much of the surrounding region from the mid-18th century until the French conquest in the 1890s. Zinder was initially the capital of the Niger territory, however this was moved to
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 di ...
in 1926 and thereafter Zinder declined in importance, though it remains an important regional centre.
Geography
![Termit2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Termit2.jpg)
Zinder Region is located in the southeast of Niger and covers 145,430 km². It borders
Agadez Region
Agadez Region is one of the seven regions of Niger. At , it covers more than half of Niger's land area, and is the largest region in the country, as well as the largest African state subdivision. The capital of the department is Agadez.
Histo ...
to the north,
Diffa Region
Diffa is one of the seven Regions of Niger, located in the southeast of the country. The capital of the region is Diffa.
Geography
Diffa Region is situated in the extreme southeast of Niger between 10° 30’ and 15° 35’ longitude East and 1 ...
to the east,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
to the south (specifically, the states of
Yobe
Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu; and it's largest and most populated city is Potisk ...
,
Jigawa and
Katsina
Katsina, likely from "Tamashek" eaning son or bloodor mazza enwith "inna" otheris a Local Government Area and the capital city of Katsina State, in northern Nigeria. ), and
Maradi Region
The Region of Maradi is one of seven Region of Niger. It is located in south-central Niger, east of the Region of Tahoua, west of Zinder, and north of the Nigerian city of Katsina. The administrative centre is at Maradi. The population of the R ...
to the west. The landscape is primarily
Sahelian
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...
in the south, merging into the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
desert in the north of the region. The terrain is predominantly flat, except for the
Koutous Hills, which lie north of
Kelle, and the
Termit Massif
The Termit Massif (Termit Mountains or simply the Termit) is a mountainous region in southeastern Niger. Just to the south of the dunes of Tenere desert and the Erg of Bilma, the northern areas of the Termit, called the Gossololom consists of b ...
in the far north of the region.
[Geels, Jolijn, (2006) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Niger'', pgs. 213-26]
Settlements
Zinder
Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census); is the regional capital; other major settlements include
Alakoss
Alakoss is a village and rural commune in Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Albarkaram
Albarkaram is a village and rural commune in the Damagaram Takaya Department of the Zinder Region of Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Bande,
Boune,
Dakoussa
Dakoussa is a village and rural commune in the Takeita Department of the Zinder Region of Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Dan-Barto
Dan-Barto is a village and rural commune in Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Dantchiao
Dantchiao is a village and rural commune in the Magaria Department of the Zinder Region of Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Daouche
Daouche is a village and rural commune in Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Dogo-Dogo
Dogo-Dogo is a village and rural commune in the Dungass Department of the Zinder Region of Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages ,
Falenko,
Gaffati,
Gamou,
Garagoumsa,
Gouchi,
Gouna,
Goure
Goure (fr. Gouré) is a town in southeastern Niger, Zinder Region, Goure Department, of which it is the seat.
Situation
Situated on the main all-weather east–west highway in Southern Niger, it is about 170 km east of regional capital ...
,
Guidiguir,
Hamdara,
Ichirnawa,
Kantche,
Kelle,
Kolleram,
Kourni,
Kwaya,
Magaria,
Malawa,
Matameye,
Mirriah,
Moa
Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand.
The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as
Kale moa and Moa Samoa.
Moa or MOA may also refe ...
,
Ollelewa,
Sassoumbroum,
Tanout
Tanout is a town in southern Niger. It is in Zinder Region, Tanout Department, north of the city of Zinder. It is the administrative capital of Tanout Department.
History
Since 1987, the Eden Foundation, an NGO aiming at providing trees for "d ...
,
Tenhya
Tenhya is a village and rural commune in Niger. As of 2010, it had a total population of 20,533 people. Tenhya located in the northern Sahel. The neighboring municipalities are Aderbissinat in the northwest, the northeast Tabelot, Tesker to the ea ...
,
Tesker,
Tsaouni,
Yaouri and
Yekoua.
Administrative subdivisions
Zinder was divided into 5
Department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
s:
*
Goure Department
Goure is a department of the Zinder Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Goure
Goure (fr. Gouré) is a town in southeastern Niger, Zinder Region, Goure Department, of which it is the seat.
Situation
Situated on the main all ...
*
Magaria Department
Magaria is a department of the Zinder Region in Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages
*
Matameye Department
Matameye is a department of the Zinder Region in Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages
*
Mirriah Department
*
Tanout Department
Tanout is a department of the Zinder Region in Niger. Its administrative seat is the city of Tanout. As of 2011, the department had a total population of 475,125 people.
On 15 April 2010, the Council of Ministers announced that Amadou Seybou Dio ...
Of the 27 administrative stations (postes administratifs) of Niger which were set out in a law dated 1 August 2011 to become departments and for which the appointment of prefects on 29 February 2012 completed the conversion, the following 5 are in Zinder region.
*
Belbédji Department
*
Damagaram Takaya Department
*
Dungass Department
*
Takiéta Department
*
Tesker Department
So, Zinder now has 10 departments.
Demographics
As of 2012 the population of the Region was 3,539,764.
[Annuaire statistique du Niger](_blank)
/ref> The main ethnolinguistic groups are various Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
groups, Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...
, Hausa
Hausa may refer to:
* Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa
* Hausa language, spoken in West Africa
* Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states
* Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse
See also
...
, Kanuri, Dazaga
Daza (also known as Dazaga) is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Daza people inhabiting northern Chad. The Daza are also known as the Gouran (Gorane) in Chad. Dazaga is spoken by around 380,000 people, primarily in the Djurab Desert regio ...
Toubou
The Toubou or Tubu (from Old Tebu, meaning "rock people") are an ethnic group native to the Tibesti Mountains that inhabit the central Sahara in northern Chad, southern Libya and northeastern Niger. They live either as herders and nomads or as ...
and Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...
groups such as the Tayart Tamajeq. The Tagdal
Tagdal (Tuareg name: ''Tagdalt'') is a mixed Northern Songhay language of central Niger. Ethnologue considers it a "mixed Berber–Songhay language", while other researchers consider it Northern Songhay. There are two dialects: Tagdal proper ...
language, thought to be a mixed Songhay-Tuareg language, is also spoken.
Governors
* Yahaya Yandaka - 2013-16
* Issa Moussa - 2016–present
See also
*Regions of Niger
Niger is divided into eight regions (French: ''régions;'' singular''région)'', each of which is named after its capital.
Current regions
*Additionally, the national capital, Niamey, comprises a special capital district.
Current administrativ ...
*Departments of Niger
The regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 departments (french: départements). Before the devolution program on 1999–2005, these departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up (regions) had, before 2002-2005 been s ...
*Communes of Niger
The Departments of Niger are subdivided into communes. As of 2005, in the seven Regions and one Capital Area, there were 36 ''départements'', divided into 265 ''communes'', 122 ''cantons'' and 81 ''groupements''. The latter two categories cover ...
References
External links
Regions of Niger
{{Niger-geo-stub