Tahoua is a city in 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...

 and the administrative center of the Department of Tahoua

Tahoua (department)

Tahoua is one of eight administrative Regions in Niger. The capital of the Region is the Commune of Tahoua. The Region covers 106,677 km². The Governor of Tahoua Region is Elhadj Mahamadou Zéti Maiga...

 and the larger Tahoua Region. It has a population of 99,900 (2004). The city is primarily a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 for the surrounding agricultural area, and a meeting place for the Tuareg people from the north and the 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...

 people from the south. Phosphate

Phosphate

A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

s and gypsum

Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...

 are mined there as well. Tahoua is twinned with Luanda, Angola.