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Niamey

Capital of NigerNiamey lies on the Niger River in the southwest corner of Niger, mostly on a plateau on the river's east bank, in the hot, dry Sahel.

Why it's the capital

Niamey replaced Zinder as the capital of the French territory in 1903, but the capital went back to Zinder in 1911. In 1926 the French moved it to Niamey again, partly because Zinder was short of drinking water and close to the border with Nigeria, and it has stayed there since.

Fun facts

  1. Local stories explain the name in different ways: one says the city grew next to a landmark tree called Gna, another says a founder cried "wa gnam ne", meaning "settle here".
  2. In Hausa the town was once called "garin captin Salma", meaning "Captain Salaman's city", after the French officer who set up a post here in 1901.
  3. Niamey held Niger's first municipal elections in 1956, and Djibo Bakary became its first mayor.

Finding it on the globe

Niger is huge, but its capital is not in the middle. Look in the far southwest corner, where the Niger River flows through: Niamey is on the river there.

Easy to mix up

Niger and Nigeria are different countries. Niamey is the capital of Niger; Nigeria, its neighbour to the south, has Abuja as its capital.

Sources: Wikipedia: Niamey, Wikipedia: Niger