Abalak
Encyclopedia
Abalak is a town located in the Tahoua Region, Abalak Department
of northern Niger
. It is both a town and Commune
: a local administrative division. It is the seat (Chef-lieu) of Abalak Department
, one of eight subdivisions of Tahoua Region. The town had a population of less than 13,000 at the 2001 census.
, bordering the Sahara desert. It also lies along the southern edge of the dry plains and fossilized river valleys which make up the Azawagh. The town itself lies in a seasonal wash -- a Kori
(Hausa) or Wadi
(Arabic) -- which retains underground water even during the long dry season.
-Tahoua
-Agadez
-Arlit
paved highway just to the northeast of the town. To the south, the local road connects the town of Keita, Niger
to the main road network. Abalak is a regional market town, especially for animals raised by pastoral and seasonally nomadic communities in the area. The town is a center for the "Bororo" Wodaabe
-Fula people
, and also hosts nomadic Tuareg. The town is unusual in this dry region for its fishing industry, dependent upon an artificial lake created by damming the ancient seasonal river valley near the town.
Abalak Department
Abalak is a department of the Tahoua Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Abalak....
of northern Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. It is both a town and Commune
Communes of Niger
The Departments of Niger are subdivided into communes. As of 2005, in the seven Regions and one Capital Area, there were 36 départements, divided into 265 communes, 122 cantons and 81 groupements...
: a local administrative division. It is the seat (Chef-lieu) of Abalak Department
Abalak Department
Abalak is a department of the Tahoua Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Abalak....
, one of eight subdivisions of Tahoua Region. The town had a population of less than 13,000 at the 2001 census.
Geography
Abalak lies near the northern extremity of the SahelSahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
, bordering the Sahara desert. It also lies along the southern edge of the dry plains and fossilized river valleys which make up the Azawagh. The town itself lies in a seasonal wash -- a Kori
Kori
Kori may refer to:* Kori, Central African Republic* Kōri, Fukushima, a town in Japan* Kori one of the scheduled castes of India* Kori or kouri, the Hausa language term for a wadi* Kōri, a possible Japanese reading of Goryeo, a dynasty in Korea...
(Hausa) or Wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
(Arabic) -- which retains underground water even during the long dry season.
Transport and economy
Abalak lies along a highway, connected to the main NiameyNiamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
-Tahoua
Tahoua
Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative center of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region. It has a population of 99,900 . The city is primarily a market town for the surrounding agricultural area, and a meeting place for the Tuareg people from the north and the Fulani people...
-Agadez
Agadez
-Sources:* Aboubacar Adamou. "Agadez et sa région. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens", Études nigériennes, n°44, , 358 p.* Julien Brachet. Migrations transsahariennes. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé . Paris: Le Croquant, , 324 p. ISBN : 978-2-91496865-2.*. Saudi Aaramco...
-Arlit
Arlit
Arlit is an industrial town and capital of the Arlit Department of the Agadez Region of northern-central Niger, built between the Sahara desert and the eastern edge of the Aïr mountains. It is 200 km south by road from the border with Algeria...
paved highway just to the northeast of the town. To the south, the local road connects the town of Keita, Niger
Keita, Niger
Keita is a town and commune in Niger, 600 kilometres north-east of the national capital, Niamey. It is the capital of Keita Department, within the Tahoua Region, with a population of 8,600 ....
to the main road network. Abalak is a regional market town, especially for animals raised by pastoral and seasonally nomadic communities in the area. The town is a center for the "Bororo" Wodaabe
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
-Fula people
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
, and also hosts nomadic Tuareg. The town is unusual in this dry region for its fishing industry, dependent upon an artificial lake created by damming the ancient seasonal river valley near the town.