Nigeria is a developed country which consistently ranks near the bottom in the 

United
Nations' Human Development Index (HDI); it was ranked 187th of 188 countries for 2015 and 189th
out of 189 countries in the 2018 and 2019 reports. [18] Many of the non-desert portions of the country
are threatened by periodic drought and desertification. The economy is concentrated
around subsistence agriculture, with some export agriculture in the more fertile south, and export of
raw materials, especially uranium ore. Niger faces serious challenges to development due to its
landlocked position, desert terrain, inefficient agriculture, high fertility rates without birth control and
resulting overpopulation,[19] the poor educational level and poverty of its people, lack of infrastructure,
poor healthcare, and environmental degradation.
Nigerien society reflects a diversity drawn from the long independent histories of its several ethnic
groups and regions and their relatively short period living in a single state. Historically, what is now
Niger has been on the fringes of several large states. Since independence, Nigeriens have lived
under five constitutions and three periods of military rule. After the military coup in 2010, Niger
became a democratic, multi-party state. A majority of the population lives in rural areas and has little
access to advanced education.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory
o 2.2Empires and kingdoms in pre-colonial Niger
 2.2.1Mali Empire (1200s–1400s)
 2.2.2Songhai Empire (1000s–1591)
 2.2.3Sultanate of Aïr (1400s–1906)
 2.2.4Kanem-Bornu Empire (700s–1700s)
 2.2.5The Hausa states and other smaller kingdoms (1400s–1800s)
o 2.3French Niger (1900–58)
o 2.4Independent Niger (1960–present)
 2.4.1Diori years (1960–74)
 2.4.2First military regime: The Supreme Military Council and Second Republic
(1974–1991)
 2.4.3National Conference and Third Republic (1991–1996)
 2.4.4Second military regime, Fourth Republic and third military regime (1996–
1999)
 2.4.5Fifth Republic (1999–2009)
 2.4.6Sixth Republic and fourth military regime (2009–2010)
 2.4.7Seventh Republic (2010–present)
 3Geography, climate, and ecology
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Environment
 4Governance and politics
o 4.1Foreign relations
o 4.2Military
o 4.3Judicial system
o 4.4Law enforcement
o 4.5Government finance
 4.5.1Foreign aid
 o 4.6Administrative divisions
o 4.7Largest cities and towns
 5Economy
 6Society
o 6.1Demographics
o 6.2Urban settlements
o 6.3Ethnic groups
o 6.4Languages
o 6.5Religion
 6.5.1Islam
o 6.6Education
o 6.7Health
 7Culture
o 7.1Festivals and cultural events
 7.1.1Guérewol festival
 7.1.2Cure Salée festival
o 7.2Media
 8See also
 9References
 10Sources
 11External links

Etymology
The country's name comes from the Niger River which flows through the west of the country; the
origin of the river's name is uncertain, though a popular theory is that it comes from
the Tuareg n'eghirren, meaning 'flowing water'.[20] The most common pronunciation is the French one
of /niːˈʒɛər/, though in Anglophone media /ˈnaɪdʒər/ is also occasionally used.

History
Main article: History of Niger

Prehistory

Ancient rock engraving showing herds of giraffe, ibex, and other animals in the southern Sahara near Tiguidit,
Niger.

Humans have inhabited the territory of modern Niger for millennia; stone tools, some dating as far
back as 280,000 BC, have been found in Adrar Bous, Bilma and Djado in the northern Agadez
Region.[21] Some of these finds have been linked with the Aterian and Mousterian tool cultures of
the Middle Paleolithic period, which flourished in northern Africa circa 90,000 BC-20,000 BC. [22][21] It is
thought that these early humans lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. [21] In prehistoric times the climate of
the Sahara desert was much wetter and more fertile than it is today, a phenomenon archaeologists
refer to as the 'Green Sahara', which provided favourable conditions for hunting and later agriculture
and livestock herding.[23][24]
The Neolithic era began circa 10,000 BC; this period saw a number of important changes, such as
the introduction of pottery (as evidenced at Tagalagal, Temet and Tin Ouffadene), the spread of
cattle husbandry, and the burying of the dead in stone tumuli.[21] As the climate changed in the period
4000–2800 BC the Sahara gradually began drying out, forcing a change in settlement patterns to the
south and east.[25] Agriculture became widespread, notably the planting of millet and sorghum, as
well as pottery production.[21] Iron and copper items first appear in this era, with early find including
those at Azawagh, Takedda, Marendet and the Termit Massif.[26][27][28] The Kiffian (circa 8000–6000
BC) and later Tenerian (circa 5000–2500 BC) cultures, centred on Adrar Bous and Gobero where
numerous skeletons have been uncovered, flourished during this period. [29][30][31][32][33]
Towards the end of this period, up till the first centuries AD, societies continued to grow and become
more complex, with regional differentiation in agricultural and funerary practices. A notable culture of
this late period is the Bura culture (circa 200–1300 AD), named for the Bura archaeological site.
where a burial replete with many iron and ceramic statuettes were discovered. [34] The Neolithic era
also saw the flourishing of Saharan rock art, most notably in the Aïr Mountains, Termit Massif, Djado
Plateau, Iwelene, Arakao, Tamakon, Tzerzait, Iferouane, Mammanet and Dabous; the art spans the
period from 10,000BC to 100AD and depicts a range of subjects, from the varied fauna of the
landscape to depictions of spear-carrying figures dubbed 'Libyan warriors'. [35][36][37]

Empires and kingdoms in pre-colonial Niger

Our knowledge of early Nigerien history is limited by the lack of written sources, though it is known
that by at least the 5th century BC the territory of modern Niger had become an area of trans-
Saharan trade. Led by Tuareg tribes from the north, camels were as a well-adapted means of
transportation through what was now an immense desert. [38][39] This mobility, which would continue in
waves for several centuries, was accompanied with further migration to the south and intermixing
between sub-Saharan African and North African populations, as well as the gradual spread of Islam.
[40]
 It was also aided by the Arab invasion of North Africa at the end of the 7th century, which resulted
in population movements to the south.[25] Several empires and kingdoms flourished in the Sahel
during this era. Their history does not fit easily within the modern boundaries of Niger, which were
created during the period of European colonialism; the following adopts a roughly chronological
account of the main empires.
Mali Empire (1200s–1400s)
Main article: Mali Empire
The Mali Empire was a Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita (r. 1230–1255) in circa 1230
and existed up to 1600. As detailed in the Epic of Sundiata, Mali emerged as a breakaway region of
the Sosso Empire, which itself had split from the earlier Ghana Empire. Thereafter Mali defeated the
Sosso at the Battle of Kirina in 1235 and then Ghana in 1240.[41][42][43] From its heartland around the
modern Guinea-Mali border region, the empire expanded considerably under successive kings and
came to dominate the Trans-Saharan trade routes, reaching its greatest extent during the rule
of Mansa Musa (r. 1312–1337).[42] At this point parts of what are now Niger's Tillabéri Region fell
under Malian rule.[41] A Muslim, Mansa Musa performed the hajj in 1324–25 and encouraged the
spread of Islam in the empire, though it appears that most ordinary citizens continued to maintain
their traditional animist beliefs instead of or alongside the new religion. [41][44] The empire began
declining in the 15th century due to a combination of internecine strife over the royal succession,
weak kings, the shift of European trade routes to the coast, and rebellions in the empire's periphery
by Mossi, Wolof, Tuareg and Songhai peoples.[44] However a rump Mali kingdom continued to exist
until late 1600s.[42]