Illela, Niger is a town and urban commune in Niger.[1]

Illela, Niger
Map
Country Niger
RegionTahoua Region
DepartmentIllela Department
Area
 • Commune
753 sq mi (1,951 km2)
Elevation
1,020 ft (310 m)
Population
 (2012 census)
 • Commune
142,214
 • Density190/sq mi (73/km2)
 • Urban
22,491
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)

Geography

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Illéla is located in the Sahel zone on the edge of the Ader Doutchi mountain landscape.[2] The neighboring municipalities of Illéla are Bambeye in the north, Badaguichiri in the northeast, Tajaé in the southeast, Alléla in the south and Bagaroua in the west.

The urban area is divided into 14 urban districts and a rural part with 69 villages and 34 hamlets. The 14 districts are Azna, Azna Zaroumèye, Baïtché, Dabagawa, Dabsaou, Illéla (Kétaré), Illéla Kétaré, Illéla Nassarawa, Illéla Toudou, Kétaré, Nassaraoua, Toudou, Toudou (neighborhood) and Zaroumèye.[3] The city center is at an altitude of 312 m. The larger villages in the rural municipality include Toullou, Dafawa, Dangona and Dandadji.

History

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Illéla was founded by Tuareg in the 18th century.[4] At the beginning of the 19th century, the place became the capital of the Ader province of the Sultanate of Agadez instead of Birni Ader. Serki n’Ader served here as governor of the Sultan. When the province broke up into several parts at the end of the 19th century, the serki n'Ader of Illéla only controlled a small area in western Ader.[5]

Illéla fell to France at the beginning of the 20th century. The local market was one of the small markets in the region that were permitted by the French administration at the time. The British travel writer A. Henry Savage Landor visited the villages of Illéla, Agourmi, Dangona and Daouréré in 1906 as part of his twelve-month journey across Africa. He described the large Hausa granaries in Illéla, built in various designs.[6]

In 1960, the year of Niger's independence, Illéla became the capital of the Illéla district,[7] from which the Arrondissement of Illéla[8] emerged in 1964 and the department of Illéla in 1998. The village of Dagona in the municipality of Illéla was one of the most affected places in the country during the 2005/06 hunger crisis in Niger. Here the population had less than one meal a day..[9] In the 2010 West African floods, over 2000 residents of Illéla were impacted.

Demographics

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At the 2012 census, the municipality had a population of 142,214 living in 22,684 households. The majority of the population is Hausa (80%), followed by Tuareg (8%) and Fulani (2%).[10]

Census Population[11]
2001 91,312
2012 142,214

Sights

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The city's sights include the ruler's palace of Illéla and the mosque in the village of Libatan Mallameye.

References

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  1. ^ Loi n° 2002-014 du 11 JUIN 2002 portant création des communes et fixant le nom de leurs chefs-lieux[permanent dead link]. Includes list of 213 communes rurales and seats, 52 Communes urbaines and seats
  2. ^ M. Bocquier, M. Gavaud, esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu République du Niger. Carte Pédologique de la Région de l'Ader Doutchi. Localisation des observations Pédologiques., Paris: ORSTOM, retrieved 2018-09-30 {{citation}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ^ "Répertoire National des Localités (ReNaLoc)" (in French). Institut National de la Statistique, République du Niger. July 2014. pp. 344–346. Archived from the original (RAR) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  4. ^ Abdourahmane Idrissa, Samuel Decalo (2012), Historical Dictionary of Niger (4. ed.), Plymouth: Scarecrow, p. 267, ISBN 978-0-8108-6094-0
  5. ^ Edmond Séré de Rivières (1965), Histoire du Niger, Paris: Berger-Levrault, p. 168
  6. ^ A. Henry Savage Landor (1907), [archive.org Across Widest Africa. An Account of the Country and People of Eastern, Central and Western Africa As Seen During a Twelve Months' Journey From Djibuti To Cape Verde], vol. II, London: Hurst and Blackett, pp. 365–366, retrieved 2021-03-13 {{citation}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ Edmond Séré de Rivières (1965), Histoire du Niger, Paris: Berger-Levrault, p. 19
  8. ^ Edmond Séré de Rivières (1965), Histoire du Niger, Paris: Berger-Levrault, p. 275
  9. ^ "Niger Food Crisis 2005: Humanitarian Situation Report No. 1". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  10. ^ Dubois Touraoua (2011-07-07). "La Commune urbaine d'Illéla dans la région de Tahoua : une solide organisation sociale traditionnelle". Le Sahel (in French). Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  11. ^ "Illéla (Commune, Niger) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-19.

14°28′N 5°14′E / 14.46°N 5.24°E / 14.46; 5.24