Niger

Overview

Niger ( Nee-ZHAIR , rarely NY-jer ) is a large, arid, landlocked country situated in the Sahel . Formerly a French colony, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world and is largely agrarian. Negative things aside, Nigeriens in general are quite friendly and down-to earth, and you can expect to come across numerous curious faces during your stay. Chances are, you may be the first person from your country they have ever met.

Culture and food

Keep in mind that drinking alcohol is generally forbidden in Muslim culture , so take extra care to keep drunken, inappropriate behaviour behind closed doors and out of the public eye.

The national beer is called, appropriately, Biere Niger. The only other locally produced beer is a franchise of the French West-African Flag brewery. While taste is in the eye of the beerholder, Biere Niger is decent. Both are brewed in the same tank from the same ingredients with the slightest variation on how much reconstituted malt they put in each batch. All other beer, boxed wine, and hard liquor is imported.

In rare pockets of the capital you can find millet beer homebrew, brewed by Burkinabe immigrants. This is drunk out of calabash gourd bowls. Some compare the taste to a dry, unsweetened cider. See the Niamey section for directions.

Locally-made non-alcoholic drinks are delicious. Safety depends on the water quality: generally OK in the capital and NOT OK in rural areas. They are either sold by women out of their houses (ask around), by young girls from trays on their heads, or by young boys pushing around coolers. These drinks include:

Nigerien culture is marked by variation, evidence of the cultural crossroads which French colonialism formed into a unified state from the beginning of the 20th century. Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: the Zarma and Songhai dominated the Niger River valley in the south-west; 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 the Sahara in the vast north.

Planning your route

Taxis in Niamey charge about CFA 200 if the distance isn't too long, or CFA 400 for going almost across the city. At the airport in Niamey there is a taxi monopoly and the lowest you'll get a taxi for is CFA 3,000, and that's if you haggle a lot. However, if you walk south from the airport you'll hit a main road and for CFA 100-150 you can get a ride from a beat up van to the Grand Marché (Main Market), luggage included.

Sights and landscapes

Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa along the border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. It lies between latitudes 11° and 24°N , and longitudes 0° and 16°E . Its area is 1.267 million km 2 (489,191 mi 2 ) of which 300 square kilometres (116 sq mi) is water. Niger borders seven countries and has a perimeter of 5,697 kilometres (3,540 mi). The longest border is with Nigeria (1,497 km or 930 mi).

The lowest point is the Niger River , with an elevation of 200 metres (656 ft). The highest point is Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès in the Aïr Mountains at 2,022 m (6,634 ft). The terrain is predominantly desert plains and sand dunes, with flat to rolling savanna in the south and hills in the north.

The hotter and drier climate within desert areas causes more frequent fires in some regions. In the south, there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin.

There are five terrestrial ecoregions: Sahelian Acacia savanna , West Sudanian savanna , Lake Chad flooded savanna , South Saharan steppe and woodlands , and West Saharan montane xeric woodlands . The north is covered by desert and semi-desert. The typical mammal fauna consists of addax antelopes, scimitar-horned oryx , gazelles, and in the mountains, Barbary sheep. The Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve was founded in the northern parts to protect these species.

Southern Niger is dominated by savanna. The W National Park , situated in the bordering area to Burkina Faso and Benin, belongs to one of the most important areas for wildlife in Western Africa, which is called the WAP (W– Arli – Pendjari ) Complex. It has a population of the West African lion and one of the last populations of the Northwest African cheetah . Other wildlife includes elephants, buffaloes, roan antelopes , kob antelopes and warthogs. A relict population of West African giraffe is in the north.

Environmental issues include destructive farming practices as a result of population pressure, illegal hunting, bush fires in some areas and human encroachment upon the flood plains of the Niger River for paddy cultivation. Dams constructed on the Niger River in the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea and within Niger are cited as a reason for a reduction of water flow in the Niger River—which has a direct effect upon the environment. A lack of adequate staff to guard wildlife in the parks and reserves is another factor cited for loss of wildlife. Farmer-managed natural regeneration is practiced since 1983 to increase food and timber production, and resilience to climate extremes.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.