Aguie is a town and capital of the Aguie Department

Aguie Department

Aguie is a department of the Maradi Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Aguie. Among the Commune subdivisions within the Department are the "Rural Communes" of Saé Saboua, Arnagou and Giratawa...

 in southern 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...

, 43 miles east of the nation's second largest city, Maradi

Maradi, Niger

Maradi is the third largest city in Niger and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.-Demographics:...

.

Administrative structure

Aguié 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...

 is the seat of the Department

Departments of Niger

||The Regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 Departments . Before the devolution program on 1999-2005, these Departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up had, before 2002-2005 been styled Departments. Prior to a revision in 2011, there had been 36 Departments. A draft...

 of the same name, one of five second level administrative subdivisions of the Maradi Region. Among the Commune subdivisions within the Department are the "Rural Communes" of Saé Saboua, Arnagou and Giratawa. Nearby villages include Dan Kiri, Dan Gao, Gamji Karama, Dan Rago, Doromawa, Guidan Tonio, and Guidan Kodao.

Population

A primarily Hausa

Hausa people

The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...

 populated region, it is bordered to the south by Katsina State

Katsina State

Katsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. The 2007 estimated population of Aguié Department was 270,000. The Maradi Region is one of the most densely populated areas of Niger, home to 20 per cent of the country’s population, mostly small farmers in rural settlements.

Transport

Aguié lies on the main east-west highway between Maradi and Zinder

Zinder

Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...

. It is also 30 miles north of the city of Katsina

Katsina

Katsina is a city , and a Local Government Area in northern Nigeria, and is the capital of Katsina State. Katsina is located some 160 miles east of the city of Sokoto, and 84 miles northwest of Kano, close to the border with Niger. As of 2007, Katsina's estimated population was 459,022...

, Nigeria, in an area of much cross-border trade and population movement.

2005-06 Niger food crisis

Aguié Department was particularly hard hit in the 2005-06 Niger food crisis

2005-06 Niger food crisis

A severe but localized food security crisis occurred in the regions of northern Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéri, and Zinder of Niger from 2005 to 2006. It was caused by an early end to the 2004 rains, desert locust damage to some pasture lands, high food prices, and chronic poverty. In the affected area,...

, and the town became a center for aid efforts. International rural health and development projects have continued to be based there.

External links

• MSN Map