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Maradi (department)
Encyclopedia
The Region of Maradi is one of eight Regions of Niger
. It is located in south-center Niger
, east of the Region of Tahoua, west of Zinder, and north of Nigeria's city of Kano
. The administrative center is at Maradi
. The population of the Region is majority Hausa
.
," though the northern parts head toward desert, and the very southern edges along the border with Nigeria get almost 600 mm a year in average rainfall, with some areas receiving as much as 650-700 mm in better years.
, mangoes, wheat
, soy beans and even cotton
are cultivated in some areas, most crops are groundnuts grown as a commercial crop, and the national subsistence of millet, sorghum and cow peas.
and east to just beyond Zinder
. As well, minority populations of Fula people
(including but not limited to the Wodaabe
who predominate to the north and east of the region), Bozo people
, ans well as Tuareg and dependent groups, especially in the north of the region and in spots along trade routes. It is the most densely populated region of Niger.
s:
Maradi has the following foreign borders:
Domestically, it borders the following Regions:
Regions of Niger
||Niger is divided into 7 Regions . Each department's capital is the same as its name.-Current regions:*Agadez Region*Diffa Region*Dosso Region*Maradi Region*Tahoua Region*Tillabéri Region*Zinder Region...
. It is located in south-center Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. 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...
, east of the Region of Tahoua, west of Zinder, and north of Nigeria's city of Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
. The administrative center is at Maradi
Maradi, Niger
Maradi is the third largest city in Niger and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.-Demographics:...
. The population of the Region is majority Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
.
Geography
Most of the 35,100 km² of land is classified as "SahelSahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
," though the northern parts head toward desert, and the very southern edges along the border with Nigeria get almost 600 mm a year in average rainfall, with some areas receiving as much as 650-700 mm in better years.
Economy
The Maradi (Niger)-Nigeria border dips south below the Region's capital, forming an area sometimes called the "breadbasket" of Niger. While TobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, mangoes, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, soy beans and even cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
are cultivated in some areas, most crops are groundnuts grown as a commercial crop, and the national subsistence of millet, sorghum and cow peas.
Population
Culturally, the Maradi Region forms the west central section of Nigerien Hausaland, which extends along the Nigeria border (and south) west to DogondoutchiDogondoutchi
Dogondoutchi is a city located in the east of the Dosso Region of Niger. With a population of 29,244 , Dogondoutchi is the largest city in and administrative center of the Dogondoutchi department, the easternmost section of Dosso Region....
and east to just beyond Zinder
Zinder
Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...
. As well, minority populations of Fula people
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
(including but not limited to the Wodaabe
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
who predominate to the north and east of the region), Bozo people
Bozo people
The Bozo are a West African ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name Bozo is thought to derive from Bambara bo-so, 'Bamboo house'; the people accept it as referring to the whole of the ethnic group but use more specific clan names such as Sorogoye, Hain, and Tieye...
, ans well as Tuareg and dependent groups, especially in the north of the region and in spots along trade routes. It is the most densely populated region of Niger.
Divisions and borders
Maradi is divided into 6 DepartmentDepartments of Niger
||The Regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 Departments . Before the devolution program on 1999-2005, these Departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up had, before 2002-2005 been styled Departments. Prior to a revision in 2011, there had been 36 Departments. A draft...
s:
- Aguie DepartmentAguie DepartmentAguie is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Aguie. Among the Commune subdivisions within the Department are the "Rural Communes" of Saé Saboua, Arnagou and Giratawa...
- Dakoro DepartmentDakoro Department, NigerDakoro is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Dakoro....
- Groumdji DepartmentGroumdji DepartmentGroumdji is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Groumdji....
- Madarounfa DepartmentMadarounfa DepartmentMadarounfa is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Madarounfa....
- Mayahi DepartmentMayahi DepartmentMayahi 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.-References:...
- Tessaoua DepartmentTessaoua DepartmentTessaoua is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Tessaoua....
Maradi has the following foreign borders:
- Katsina State, NigeriaKatsina StateKatsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...
- south - Zamfara State, NigeriaZamfara StateZamfara State is a state in northwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Gusau and its Governor is Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari, a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party . Until 1996 the area was part of Sokoto State....
- southwest - Sokoto State, NigeriaSokoto StateSokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...
- far southwest
Domestically, it borders the following Regions:
- Tahoua Region - west
- Agadez Region - north
- Zinder Region - east