Niamey

Port, capital, and administrative centre of Niger, in the southwest of the country, on the northeast bank of the Niger River; population (2001) 675,000. Manufacturing industries include textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, plastics, and foodstuffs, though service industries are the largest employers. It replaced Zinder as the capital in 1926.

A French fort was established at Niamey in 1902. It was selected as an administrative centre in 1922. The population grew rapidly from 30,000 in 1960 when independence was gained from France. The city had another growth spurt in the 1970s following the discovery of uranium in Niger in 1968.

The city has the National Museum, botanical gardens, and a zoo, as well as research institutes concerned with forestry, agriculture, and veterinary medicine. It has an international airport and railway terminus and is linked by road to ports in Nigeria (Lagos lies 800 km/500 mi to the southeast) and Benin. The university was established in 1971.