Aguie | |
|---|---|
 Aguie Department location in the region | |
| Country |  Niger |
| Region | Maradi Region |
| Area | |
| • Total | 676 sq mi (1,752 km2) |
| Population (2012 census) | |
| • Total | 245,996 |
| • Density | 360/sq mi (140/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (GMT 1) |
Aguie is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Aguie.
As of 2012, the department had a total population of 245,996 people. [1] [2] A primarily Hausa populated region, it is bordered to the south by Katsina State, Nigeria. This is following a partial UN funded development census of the region from 2005. [3] The Maradi Region is one of the most densely populated areas of Niger, home to 20 per cent of the country’s population, most of whom are small farmers in rural settlements. [4]
Aguié lies on the main east-west highway between Maradi and Zinder. [5] It is also 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city of Katsina, Nigeria, in an area of much cross-border trade and population movement. [6] [7]
Diffa is a city and Urban Commune in the extreme southeast of Niger, near the border with Nigeria. It is the administrative seat of both Diffa Region, and the smaller Diffa Department. As of 2012, the commune had a total population of 56,437 people.
The culture of Niger is marked by variation, evidence of the cultural crossroads which French colonialism formed into a unified state from the beginning of the 20th century. What is now Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: the Djerma dominated Niger River valley in the southwest; the northern periphery of Hausaland, made mostly of those states which had resisted the Sokoto Caliphate, and ranged along the long southern border with Nigeria; the Lake Chad basin and Kaouar in the far east, populated by Kanuri farmers and Toubou pastoralists who had once been part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire; and the Tuareg nomads of the Aïr Mountains and Saharan desert in the vast north. Each of these communities, along with smaller ethnic groups like the pastoral Wodaabe Fula, brought their own cultural traditions to the new state of Niger.
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It is known for its gardens, for salt and natron production through evaporation ponds, date cultivation, and as the destination of one of the last Saharan caravan routes.
Birni-N'Konni is a town in the Tahoua Region of Niger, lying immediately north of the border of Nigeria and west of seasonal Maggia River. It is an important market town and transport hub and as of the 2012 census had a population of 63,169. The town is the historic centre of the small pre-colonial Hausa state of Konni. The name comes from the Hausa for "Walled Town of Konni", and many Hausa towns designate the old citadel neighbourhood the "Birni".
Maradi is the second largest city in Niger and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is also the seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.
Diffa is one of the seven Regions of Niger, located in the southeast of the country. The capital of the region is Diffa.
Dosso is one of the eight Regions of Niger. The region has an area of 31,002 square kilometres (11,970 sq mi), with a population of 2,754,500 as of 2020.
Tahoua is one of eight Regions of Niger. The capital of the region is the commune of Tahoua. The region covers 106,677 km².
Zinder Region is one of the seven regions of Niger; the capital of the region is Zinder. The region covers 145,430 km². It is the most populous province of Niger.
The Region of Maradi is one of seven regions 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 Region is predominantly Hausa.
Abalak is a town located in the Tahoua Region, Abalak Department of northern Niger. It is both a town and Commune: a local administrative division. It is the seat (Chef-lieu) of Abalak Department, one of eight subdivisions of Tahoua Region. The town had a population of less than 74,719 at the 2012 census.
Madaoua is a town and urban commune located in the Tahoua Region of Niger. It has a population of 127,254. It is seat of the Madaoua Department, forming the southwest corner of the Region, and is an Urban Commune.
Tessaoua, formerly known as Tessawa, is a city located in the Maradi Region of Niger. It has a population of 43,409. Tessaoua is historically an important city in its region. It is situated in a central geographical location. Tessaoua is a midpoint on a historical trade route between Agadez, Niger, in the north and Kano, Nigeria, in the south. During the collapse of the sultanates of Bornu and Sokoto during the late 19th century, the local ruler declared his territory the sultanate of Tessaoua; he signed a treaty of protection with the French captain Cazemajou in 1897, prior to the explorer's murder in nearby Zinder.
Islam in Niger accounts for the vast majority of the nation's religious adherents. The faith is practiced by more than 99.3% of the population, although this figure varies by source and percentage of the population who are classified as Animist. The vast majority of Muslims in Niger are Malikite Sunni with Salafi influences. Many of the communities who continue to practice elements of traditional religions do so within a framework of syncretic Islamic belief, making agreed statistics difficult. Islam in Niger, although dating back more than a millennium, gained dominance over traditional religions only in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and has been marked by influences from neighboring societies. Sufi brotherhoods have become the dominant Muslim organization, like much of West Africa. Despite this, a variety of interpretations of Islam coexist—largely in peace—with one another as well as with minorities of other faiths. The government of Niger is secular in law while recognising the importance of Islam to the vast majority of its citizens.
Aguie is a town and capital of the Aguie Department in southern Niger, 69 kilometres east of the nation's second largest city, Maradi.
Goure is a Commune and town in southeastern Niger, Zinder Region, Goure Department, of which it is the seat. As of 2012, it had a population of 73,732.
According to the 2012 census, Islam is the most followed religion in Niger and is practiced by 99% of the population. According to Pew, roughly 80% of Muslims are Sunni of Maliki school of jurisprudence, whilst 20% are non-denominational Muslims Other religions practiced in Niger include Animism and Christianity.
Mayahi Department is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Mayahi. In the mid-1990s, the Department had a population of 125,000, with 2,200 in Mayahi town. As of 2012, the department had a total population of 557,186 people.
Konni is a traditional Hausa state in what is today south central Maradi Region Niger and north Sokoto State Nigeria. It continues to exist as a ceremonial polity centered on the Nigerien city of Birni-N'Konni.
Niger–Nigeria relations refer to the current and historical relationship between Niger and Nigeria, two neighbouring countries in West Africa. Relations are based on a long shared border and common cultural and historical interactions.
