Maradi, Niger
Encyclopedia
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.
just above the flood plain by the French colonial administrators in 1946. As of the 2001 census, the official population of Maradi was 148,017. The predominant ethnic group in the city is Hausa
, with a few urbanized Fulani
and Tuaregs living there as well. Various ethnic groups from Nigeria, particularly Ibo
and Yoruba
, can also be found in skilled trades or in small shops.
in the west to Diffa
in the far east. Maradi has long been a merchant city, on the route north from Kano
, Nigeria
. This explains why one can use either the West African CFA franc
(Niger's official currency) or the Nigerian Naira for currency in Maradi. The city lies in a region known for groundnut
farming.
, a Hausa
state, it became independent in the 19th century. From the early 19th century, Maradi was home to one of several Hausa traditional rump states, formed by animist rulers and nobility who fled the rise of the Muslim Sokoto Caliphate. Elements of the Katsina ruling class continued to claim the area as the seat of a Katsina exile state before the formation of an independent Maradi Emirate in the late 19th century, ruled by the Sarkin Maradi. Maradi was constrained by the more powerful Gobir
exile state to the west, the Sultanate of Damagaram
based at Zinder
to the east, and Sokoto to the south. The arrival of the French in 1899 saw first the bloody destruction of the town by the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
, but later saw the town recover as an important regional center of commerce, and of the French project to create export centered agriculture (mostly groundnuts) in the area. With independence Maradi has become a center of Hausa culture, vying with the larger traditional Hausa center of Zinder to the east.
Entering the city from the west or east means taking a southerly exit off the two-lane highway that crosses Niger. That road takes you up to the plateau-top, past Coca-Cola, Nescafe and "Stop SIDA" signs (French for AIDS), below a large painted cement arch, and onto the main drag through town.
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...
and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.
Demographics
Maradi was originally built on a lush flood plain, but after several severe floods, it was moved up to a plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
just above the flood plain by the French colonial administrators in 1946. As of the 2001 census, the official population of Maradi was 148,017. The predominant ethnic group in the city is 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...
, with a few urbanized Fulani
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 Tuaregs living there as well. Various ethnic groups from Nigeria, particularly Ibo
Ibo
-Alternate spelling:*Ibo or Igbo people, an ethnic group based in West Africa*Ibo or Igbo language, the language of the Igbo people-Abbreviation:IBO can stand for:* Intellectual Property Business Organization...
and Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
, can also be found in skilled trades or in small shops.
Economy
Maradi is the major transport trade and agricultural hub of Niger's south central Hausa region. It lies on the major east—west paved highway which crosses from 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...
in the west to Diffa
Diffa
Diffa is a city and Urban Commune in the extreme southeast of Niger, near that country's border with Nigeria, with a population of 23,600 . It is the administrative seat of both Diffa Region, and the smaller Diffa Department...
in the far east. Maradi has long been a merchant city, on the route north from Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
, 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...
. This explains why one can use either the West African CFA franc
West African CFA franc
The West African CFA franc is the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and Togo. The acronym CFA stands for Communauté financière d'Afrique...
(Niger's official currency) or the Nigerian Naira for currency in Maradi. The city lies in a region known for groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
farming.
History
Originally part of KatsinaKatsina
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...
, a 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...
state, it became independent in the 19th century. From the early 19th century, Maradi was home to one of several Hausa traditional rump states, formed by animist rulers and nobility who fled the rise of the Muslim Sokoto Caliphate. Elements of the Katsina ruling class continued to claim the area as the seat of a Katsina exile state before the formation of an independent Maradi Emirate in the late 19th century, ruled by the Sarkin Maradi. Maradi was constrained by the more powerful Gobir
Gobir
Gobir was a city-state in what is now Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the eleventh century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly seven hundred years. Its capital was the city of Alkalawa...
exile state to the west, the Sultanate of Damagaram
Sultanate of Damagaram
The Sultanate of Damagaram was a powerful pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder.- Rise :The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731 by Muslim Kanouri aristocrats, led by Mallam...
based at 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...
to the east, and Sokoto to the south. The arrival of the French in 1899 saw first the bloody destruction of the town by the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
Voulet-Chanoine Mission
The Voulet–Chanoine Mission or Central African Mission was a French military expedition sent out from Senegal in 1898 to conquer the Chad Basin and unify all French territories in West Africa...
, but later saw the town recover as an important regional center of commerce, and of the French project to create export centered agriculture (mostly groundnuts) in the area. With independence Maradi has become a center of Hausa culture, vying with the larger traditional Hausa center of Zinder to the east.
Attractions
Attractions in Maradi include the Dan Kasswa Mosque, the Centre Artisanal (traditional handcrafts) in the Sonitan quartier and the Katsinawa Provincial Chief's Palace, but much of the rest of the city dates from the 1950s and later and is becoming industrialised. The central Market, the Maradi grand-marché, is a large daily market of wholesale, retail, and agricultural goods from across south central Niger and the major pont of cross boder trade with Nigeria.Entering the city from the west or east means taking a southerly exit off the two-lane highway that crosses Niger. That road takes you up to the plateau-top, past Coca-Cola, Nescafe and "Stop SIDA" signs (French for AIDS), below a large painted cement arch, and onto the main drag through town.