Niamey

13°32N 2°05E, pop (2000e) 569 000. River-port capital of Niger; 800 km/500 mi NW of Lagos (Nigeria); airport; railway terminus; university (1971); textiles, metals, food processing, ceramics, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; markets selling cloth, leather, iron and copper craftwork; national museum, zoo, botanical gardens.

Niamey, population 674,950 (2002 census), is the capital of Niger It is Niger's largest city, lying at the Niger River, mostly on the left bank.

The city is located in a millet growing region, while manufacturing industries include bricks, ceramic goods, cement and weaving.

Niamey 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.

Attractions in the city include the Niger National Museum, incorporating a zoo, a museum of vernacular architecture, a craft centre, and exhibits including dinosaur skeletons and the Tree of Ténéré.

The city is also the site of Diori Hamani International Airport, the National School of Administration, Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, which lies on the right bank of the river, and many institutes (Centre numérique de Niamey, IRD, ICRISAT, Hydrologic Institute, etc.)

In December 2005 it was the host of the Jeux de la Francophonie.