Zinder

Second-largest town in Niger, located in the south of the country, 200 km/124 mi northeast of Maradi; population (1998 est) 173,600. The capital of Zinder department, it is a marketing centre, with major trade routes linking it with Kano, Nigeria, to the south, and with Algiers, Algeria, to the north. There is an airport, and, because Zinder lies in the wettest and most productive area for cattle herding and crop cultivation, industries include tanning and food processing. It is an ancient walled town, and was a centre for trade across the Sahara in salt and spices.

Zinder was the capital of Niger after the country became a French colonial territory in 1899 until 1926 when the capital was named to be Niamey. A notable local building is the Sultan's Palace, dating from 1860.