Niger

[nahy-jer, nee-zher]

noun

1. a republic in NW Africa: formerly part of French West Africa. 458,976 sq. mi. (1,188,748 sq. km). Niamey.

2. a river in W Africa, rising in S Guinea, flowing NE through Mali, and then SE through Nigeria into the Gulf of Guinea. 2,600 miles (4,185 km) long.

Niger

noun

1. a landlocked republic in West Africa: important since earliest times for its trans-Saharan trade routes; made a French colony in 1922 and became fully independent in 1960; exports peanuts and livestock. Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: franc. Capital: Niamey. Pop: 16 899 327 (2013 est). Area: 1 267 000 sq km (489 000 sq miles)

2. a river in West Africa, rising in S Guinea and flowing in a great northward curve through Mali, then southwest through Niger and Nigeria to the Gulf of Guinea: the third longest river in Africa, with the largest delta, covering an area of 36 260 sq km (14 000 sq miles). Length: 4184 km (2600 miles)

3. a state of W central Nigeria. Capital: Minna. Pop: 3 950 249 (2006). Area: 76 363 sq km (29 476 sq miles)

Niger

1. Republic in western Africa, bordered by Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria to the northwest, Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, and Nigeria and Benin to the south. Niamey is the capital and largest city.

Niger was under French control from the 1880s to 1960, when it gained full independence.

Other Word Forms

• Nigerien adjective
• trans-Niger adjective

Example Sentences

In Niger, where a coup toppled a pro-Western president in 2023, Russian military instructors initially deployed to an air base last year, as French and U.S. counterterrorism forces were forced to leave.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Gunmen on motorbikes have shot dead 22 people, most of them attending a baptism ceremony, in an attack on a village in western Niger, reports say.

Read more on BBC

The spate of attacks is a major blow to the credibility of Niger's military junta, as it promised to curb the insurgency when it took power after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.

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The fight against the militants became even more challenging after neighbouring Niger withdrew its troops from a regional force set up to tackle the jihadist group.

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The reportedly overloaded boat, said to have been carrying about 100 passengers including women and children, capsized when it struck a submerged tree stump on the River Niger in the Borgu area on Wednesday morning.

Read more on BBC