NiameyCapital
Niger · Country profile
Niamey is the dusty, green capital of Niger, the river port city of the Sahel that spreads along the left bank of the great Niger river where it bends through the southern belt of the country, one of the hottest and the most populous cities of the central Sahel. The city, once a small village of the fishing and the trade of the river, grew into the modern capital of the colony and then of the independent nation, its boulevards, its markets and its government district spreading across the plain between the river and the sands. It is a capital of the colossal energy and the challenge of the Sahel, with the enormous crowd of the markets, the calm of the museum gardens and the oases of the river islands framing the daily life of the country, and the crafts, the music and the festivals of the town carrying the deep cultures of the desert edge. Hot, teeming and profoundly resilient, Niamey is the beating heart of the greatest country of the Sahel.
About Niamey
Niamey is the capital of Niger. The city's documented population is around 1,400,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF) and French is spoken; the dialling code is +227.
The Museum of the National and the Village of the Museum
Niamey is a guided, spirited capital where the essential circuit moves between the great national museum, the banks of the river and the big markets of the town, with the islands of the river and the hippos offering the natural excursions of the water. The enormous market of the capital, with its garment stalls, its silversmiths and its leather sellers, runs the daily commerce of the region, and the museum gardens, with their reconstructed Nigerien houses, their crafts and their dinosaur fossils, gather the heritage of the country. The river trips of the islands and the hippo pools, and the festivals of the Tuareg and the Fulani cultures that gather through the year, complete the dense, theatrical world of the Sahelian capital.
The Great Market and the Craft Streets of the Capital
The climate of the city is fiercely hot and dry, with the long, scorching dry season, the brief rains of the summer months when the river rises high, and the dusty haze and the cool nights of the harmattan winter. The franc of the region is the currency, with the Hausa, the Djerma and the French the languages of the town. The museum, the market and the river circuit make the core visits, and the heat of the day rewards the slow, shaded rhythm of the capital. Light cotton clothes, a hat and generous water supplies are the absolute essentials of the season of the sun.
The Islands of the River and the Hippos of the Sandbars
The national museum of the capital, the celebrated museum of the river that combines the open-air village of the reconstructed Nigerien houses with the craft workshops, the botanical gardens and the dinosaur skeletons of the region, is the finest introduction to the country and its peoples. The great mosque of the town and the grand hotel of the country, built in the fibrous style of the Sahel, anchor the skyline of the city, while the river islands of the Niger, reached by the pirogues of the quays, host the famous hippos that bask on the sandbars within sight of the capital. The weekly market of the bark, with the silver jewelry of the desert nomads and the dyed leathers of the southern cities, draws the whole region to the greatest trade street of the Sahelian capital.
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- Country
- Niger
- Population
- 1,400,000
- Capital
- Niamey
- Region
- Africa
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF)
- Languages
- French
- Calling code
- +227
- Country code
- NE
Frequently asked questions
Is Niamey the capital of Niger?
Yes — Niamey is the capital of Niger.
What currency do I need in Niamey?
The local currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF). Languages spoken in Niger include French.
What is the dialling code for Niger?
The international dialling code for Niger is +227.
Flying out of Niamey? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.