Niamey

Niamey is the capital and largest city of the West African country Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic centre. Niamey's population (presumably the settlement) was counted as 978,029 as of the (2012 census final adjustment), however, its administrative area the Niamey Capital District, covering 670 km2, had 1,026,848 people (2012 census final adjustment). As of 2017, recent population projections show the capital district growing at a rate less than the country as a whole, which has the world's highest fertility rate.The city is located in a pearl millet growing region, while manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement and weaving.HistoryNiamey was probably founded in the eighteenth century, but was of little importance to most of the country until the French developed a colonial post in the 1890s. This rapidly grew into an important centre. In 1926 it became the capital of Niger, and the population gradually increased, from about 3,000 in 1930 to around 30,000 in 1960. The period from 1970 to 1988 was one in which the economy of Niger boomed, driven by revenue from the uranium mines at Arlit. In this period, the population of Niamey grew from 108,000 to 398,365 inhabitants. The city expanded from 1367ha in 1970 to 4400ha by 1977, in the process annexing peripheral villages such as Lazaret.By some estimates the population had reached 800,000 in 2000. In 2011, government press estimated the total urban population at over 1.5 million. A major cause of the increase has been in migration for work and during droughts, as well a high population growth. This last factor means a majority of the city's citizens are youths.