Regions of Niger

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Politics of Niger
Niger is divided into 7 Regions (French: "régions;" singularndash "région)". 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

Additionally, the national capital, Niamey, comprises a capital district.

Current administrative structure

The Regions are subdivided into Departments and communes. As of 2005, there were 36 "départements", divided into 265 "communes", 122 "cantons" and 81 "groupements". The latter two categories cover all areas not covered by "Urban Communes" (population over 10000) or "Rural Communes" (population under 10000), and are governed by the Department, whereas Communes have (since 1999) elected councils and mayors. Additional semi-autonomous sub-divisions include "Sultanates", "Provinces" and "Tributaries" ("tribus"). [Loi 2001-23, Article 6] The Nigerien government estimates there are an additional 17000 Villages administered by "Rural Communes", while there are a number of "Quartiers" (boroughs or neighborhoods) administered by "Urban Communes". [ [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/008/ae953f/ae953f00.pdf GOUVERNEMENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DU NIGER. APPUI À LA MISE EN ŒUVRE DU NEPAD–PDDAA, TCP/NER/2908 (I) (NEPAD Ref. 05/24 F), Volume IV de VI : PROFIL DE PROJET D’INVESTISSEMENT BANCABLE, Programme national de développement des infrastructures rurales (PNDIR)] Government of the Republic of Niger, 24 April 2005, hosted bt the FAO.]

Restructuring

Prior to the devolution program on 1999-2006, these Regions were styled Departments. Confusingly, the next level down (Arrondissements) were renamed Departments. [*Mbaye Mbengue FAYE, Faria Ibrahim [http://www.worldbank.org/afr/aids/gom/Annex_06/Annex%2006.01%20Waste%20Management%20TOR%20and%20Plan.doc GESTION DES DECHETS ISSUS DES SOINS DE SANTE (DISS):RAPPORT PROVISOIRE] , World Bank, Niamey, Décembre 2001.

* [http://www.afdb.org/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/ADB_ADMIN_PG/DOCUMENTS/OPERATIONSINFORMATION/ADF_BD_WP_2003_65_E.PDF FONDS AFRICAIN DE DEVELOPPEMENT: ETUDE DE MOBILISATION DES EAUX DANS LA REGION DE MARADI NIGER] . DEPARTEMENT AGRICULTURE ET DEVELOPPEMENT RURAL, OCAR. African Development Bank Group, MARCH 2003

* [http://www.pcr.uu.se/gpdatabase/peace/Niger%2019950415fr.pdf ACCORD ÉTABLISSANT UNE PAIX DÉFINITIVE ENTRE LE GOUVERNEMENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DU NIGER ET L?ORGANISATION DE LA RÉSISTANCE ARMÉE (O. R. A.] ]

1992 division

Tillabéri department was created in 1992, when Niamey Region (then called "department") was split, with the area immediately outside Niamey renamed as the "capital district". [According to [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:QoLVC0VLhpMJ:www.statoids.com/une.html+FIPS+Niger+NG08&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a Statsoid] : "~1992: Tillabéry Region/department split from Niamey (whose FIPS code was NG05 before the change). Status of Niamey changed from department to capital district."]

Historical evolution

Prior to independence, Niger was divided into sixteen Cercles as second level administration divisions: Agadez, Birni N'Konni, Dogondoutchi, Dosso, Filingué, Gouré, Madaoua, Magaria, Maradi, N'Guigmi, Niamey, Tahoua, Téra, Tessaoua, Tillabéry, and Zinder. Their capitals had the same names as the cercle.

After independence, the "31 December 1961 Law of territorial organization" created 31 "circonscriptions". The 16 colonial cercles continued to exist, and served as a level of division above these circonscriptions. Four cercles (Dogondoutchi, Filingué, N'Guigmi, and Téra) had only one circonscription. The "Law of August 14 1964" then reorganized the country into seven departments, adopting the French second level administration naming system, in contrast to neighbor Mali, which retained the colonial Cercles and Regions.

ee also

*Departments of Niger
*Communes of Niger
*List of FIPS region codes (M-O) for the department codes under the FIPS 10-4 standard.

References