Niamey is the capital of the West African nation of Niger. It is Niger's largest city, lying on the Niger River, mostly on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic center. Niamey's population, officially 774,235 at the 2006 census, is estimated much higher. Niamey is located at 13°31'17" North, 2°6'19" East (13.521389, 2.105278).
The city is located in a pearl millet growing region, while manufacturing industries include bric...
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Niamey is the capital of the West African nation of Niger. It is Niger's largest city, lying on the Niger River, mostly on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic center. Niamey's population, officially 774,235 at the 2006 census, is estimated much higher. Niamey is located at 13°31'17" North, 2°6'19" East (13.521389, 2.105278).
The city is located in a pearl millet growing region, while manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement and weaving.
Niamey was probably founded in the eighteenth century, but was of little importance to most of the country until the French developed a colonial post in the 1890s. This rapidly grew into an important center. In 1926 it became the capital of Niger, and the population gradually increased, from about 3,000 in 1930 to around 30,000 in 1960, 250,000 in 1980 and - by some estimates - 800,000 in 2000. The major cause of the increase has been immigration during droughts.
Covering a area of over 250 km² the...
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