Birni-N'Konni
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| Birni-N'Konni Konni |
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  Birni-N'Konni
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| Coordinates: 13°47′N 5°15′E / 13.783°N 5.25°E | |
| Country |  Niger |
| Region | Tahoua Region |
| Department | Bkonni Department |
| Population (2008)[1] | |
| - Total | 57,000 |
Birni-N'Konni (also Birnin-Konni or shortened to Konni/Bkonni), is a town in Niger, lying on the border of Nigeria and the Kori River. It is an important market town and transport hub and had a population of 44,663 at the 2001 census. The town is the historic center of the small pre-colonial Hausa state of Konni. The name is Hausa language for "Walled Town of Konni", and many Hausa towns (such as Zinder) designate the old citadel neighborhood the "Birni".[2]
Konni is known for its vernacular architecture including traditional granaries and is regarded as a centre for smuggling between Niger and Nigeria, in which some suburbs of the town are officially located. Birni-N'Konni's contemporary importance rests on the surrounding agricultural lands and its place on the main east-west highway linking Niger's capitol Niamey and the nation's main eastern cities of Maradi and Zinder. It also sits astride one of several main routes between the Hausa populated territories of southern Niger and northern Nigeria, with the Nigerian transport and trade center of Illela, Sokoto State just 18 km to the south.
The town was also the site of a major massacre on May 8, 1899 when the French Voulet-Chanoine Mission attacked the region.
[edit] References
- ^ www.bevoelkerungsstatistik.de
- ^ E. P. Stebbing. The Encroaching Sahara: The Threat to the West African Colonies. The Geographical Journal, Vol. 85, No. 6 (Jun., 1935), pp. 506-519
- Falling Rain.com entry.
- Samuel Decalo. Historical Dictionary of Niger (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press, Boston & Folkestone, (1997) ISBN 0810831368
- Finn Fuglestad. A History of Niger: 1850-1960. Cambridge University Press (1983) ISBN 0521252687
- Jolijn Geels. Niger. Bradt UK/ Globe Pequot Press USA (2006) ISBN 9781841621524
Coordinates: 13°47′N 5°15′E / 13.783°N 5.25°E
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