Maradi, Niger

Originally part of Katsina, a Hausa state, it became independent in the 19th century.Abdourahmane Idrissa, Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Niger, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2012, p. 316 From the early 19th century, Maradi was home to one of several Hausa traditional rump states, formed by rulers and nobility who fled the rise of the Sokoto Caliphate.Geels, Jolijn, (2006) Bradt Travel Guide – Niger, pgs. 203–212 Elements of the Katsina ruling class continued to claim the area as the seat of a Katsina state in exile ruled by the Sarkin Katsina Maradi. Maradi was constrained by the more powerful Gobir exilic state to the west, the Sultanate of Damagaram based at Zinder to the east, and Sokoto to the south. The arrival of the French in 1899 saw the bloody destruction of the town by the Voulet–Chanoine Mission, but later the town recovered to become an important regional centre of commerce by the 1950s.

The expansion of the city in the first half of the 20th century was dynamic, albeit modest, with the population nearly doubling between 1911 and 1950.[http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/pt5/travaux_d/23390.pdf Les alhazai de Maradi – l’histoire d’une groupe de riche marchands saheliens]. Emmanuel Gregoire. Éditions de I'ORSTOM. 1990. Up until 1945, the ancient city of Maradi was located in the valley bordering the Goulbi N'Maradi, a seasonal waterway with its source in Nigeria. The urban area, roughly circular in shape, was protected by a mud wall with four doors; the ancient city was flooded by this river at the end of the rainy season of 1945. To avoid future inundation, the French colonial administration decided then to adjust the urban layout. In the process, the city lost its traditional, irregular layout in favour of a grid system. The French sought to create cash-crop agriculture, mostly groundnuts, which increasingly made the city an important regional commercial centre. Aided by economic growth after the 1950s, Maradi experienced a demographic boom, with the population increasing from 8,661 in 1950 to 80,000 by 1983. By the time of Niger's independence in 1960, Maradi was a centre of Hausa culture, vying with the larger traditional Hausa centre of Zinder to the east.

In 2000 a riot broke out in the town by Muslim groups opposed to the staging of the Festival International de la Mode en Afrique (FIMA) in Niamey, resulting in the destruction of various buildings deemed un-Islamic, such as brothels and bars.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2000/11/culture-niger-government-to-ban-islamic-groups-opposed-to-fashion-festival/|title=NCULTURE-NIGER: Government to Ban Islamic Groups Opposed to Fashion Festival|author1=Saidou Arji |author2=Noel Tadegnon |date=15 November 2000|access-date= 29 October 2019}}

The city is divided into three urban municipalities: Maradi I, Maradi II and Maradi III. Maradi is centred on the Grand-marché, a large daily market of wholesale, retail, and agricultural goods from across south central Niger and also the cross-border trade with Nigeria.[http://www.resimao.org/html/en/region/market/86Detailed Information on Maradi grand-marché] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727213250/http://www.resimao.org/html/en/region/market/86Detailed |date=27 July 2011 }}. RESIMAO West-African Market Information Network. Price Statistics from the official West African Market Price Agencies -online Some of the districts in the town include Zaria and Sabon Gari in the north, and to the west Mokoya, Dan Gouleye, Bagalam, Yandaka, Maradawa, Hassao and Limantchi.

Maradi has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) typical for the far south of Niger. It experiences an oppressive, mostly cloudy wet season, and a windy, partly cloudy dry season. Temperatures are hot to sweltering year round, typically ranging from {{convert|58|to|104|°F|°C|1}}, and rarely fall below {{convert|53|°F|1}} or above {{convert|107|°F|1}}.{{Cite web |title=Maradi Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Niger) - Weather Spark |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/55148/Average-Weather-in-Maradi-Niger-Year-Round |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=weatherspark.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Maradi, NE Climate Zone, Monthly Weather Averages and Historical Data |url=https://tcktcktck.org/niger/maradi |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=tcktcktck.org}}{{Cite web |title=Maradi climate: weather by month, temperature, rain - Climates to Travel |url=https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/niger/maradi |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.climatestotravel.com}}{{Cite web |title=Simulated historical climate & weather data for Maradi |url=https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/maradi_niger_2441291 |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=meteoblue |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Climate & Weather Averages in Maradi, Niger |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/niger/maradi/climate |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.timeanddate.com |language=en}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Maradi Airport (1961–1990)

| Jan avg record high C = 35.0

| Feb avg record high C = 38.3

| Mar avg record high C = 41.3

| Apr avg record high C = 42.9

| May avg record high C = 42.4

| Jun avg record high C = 40.8

| Jul avg record high C = 36.9

| Aug avg record high C = 34.9

| Sep avg record high C = 37.3

| Oct avg record high C = 38.6

| Nov avg record high C = 37.3

| Dec avg record high C = 35.6

| year avg record high C =

| Jan high C = 30.2

| Feb high C = 33.6

| Mar high C = 37.0

| Apr high C = 40.0

| May high C = 39.7

| Jun high C = 37.0

| Jul high C = 33.2

| Aug high C = 31.7

| Sep high C = 33.8

| Oct high C = 36.3

| Nov high C = 33.9

| Dec high C = 31.1

| year high C = 34.8

| Jan mean C = 21.6

| Feb mean C = 24.6

| Mar mean C = 28.4

| Apr mean C = 32.0

| May mean C = 32.7

| Jun mean C = 31.0

| Jul mean C = 28.2

| Aug mean C = 27.0

| Sep mean C = 28.2

| Oct mean C = 28.4

| Nov mean C = 25.2

| Dec mean C = 22.3

| year mean C = 27.4

| Jan low C = 13.0

| Feb low C = 15.6

| Mar low C = 19.8

| Apr low C = 24.0

| May low C = 25.7

| Jun low C = 25.0

| Jul low C = 23.2

| Aug low C = 22.2

| Sep low C = 22.5

| Oct low C = 20.5

| Nov low C = 16.5

| Dec low C = 13.5

| year low C = 20.1

| Jan avg record low C = 8.8

| Feb avg record low C = 11.4

| Mar avg record low C = 14.5

| Apr avg record low C = 18.5

| May avg record low C = 20.9

| Jun avg record low C = 20.1

| Jul avg record low C = 19.5

| Aug avg record low C = 19.2

| Sep avg record low C = 19.1

| Oct avg record low C = 16.3

| Nov avg record low C = 12.1

| Dec avg record low C = 9.5

| year avg record low C =

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 0.0

| Feb rain mm = 0.0

| Mar rain mm = 0.3

| Apr rain mm = 4.1

| May rain mm = 18.9

| Jun rain mm = 63.5

| Jul rain mm = 149.0

| Aug rain mm = 175.1

| Sep rain mm = 74.9

| Oct rain mm = 6.6

| Nov rain mm = 0.0

| Dec rain mm = 0.0

| year rain mm = 491.3

| Jan sun = 282.1

| Feb sun = 263.2

| Mar sun = 269.7

| Apr sun = 261.0

| May sun = 291.4

| Jun sun = 279.0

| Jul sun = 257.3

| Aug sun = 235.6

| Sep sun = 255.0

| Oct sun = 285.2

| Nov sun = 282.0

| Dec sun = 279.0

| year sun = 3248.5

| Jand sun = 9.1

| Febd sun = 9.4

| Mard sun = 8.7

| Aprd sun = 8.7

| Mayd sun = 9.4

| Jund sun = 9.3

| Juld sun = 8.3

| Augd sun = 7.6

| Sepd sun = 8.5

| Octd sun = 9.2

| Novd sun = 9.4

| Decd sun = 9.0

| yeard sun = 8.9

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/NG/61080.TXT

|title = Station Name: MARADI AERO

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|format = TXT

|access-date = 24 August 2024}}

}}

At the 2012 census, the official population of Maradi was 267,249, making it the second largest city in the country,{{Cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/Niger-Cities.html|title=Niger: Regions, Cities & Urban Centers – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=2019-03-23}} with the predominant ethnic group in the city being Hausa, with a few urbanised Fulani and Tuaregs living there as well. Various ethnic groups from Nigeria, particularly Ibo and Yoruba, can also be found in skilled trades or in small shops.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

== Places of worship ==

File:Mosqué du Sultanat.JPG

There are several large mosques in the town. There are also some Christian churches and temples, with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maradi, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, various Protestant churches and the Assemblies of God having a presence.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 2103

Maradi is the major transport trade and agricultural hub of Niger's south central Hausa region.Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Maradi Maradi], britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019 It lies on the major east–west paved highway which crosses from Niamey in the west to Diffa in the far east. It also has an airport. Maradi has long been a merchant city, on the route north from Kano, Nigeria. This explains why one can use either the West African CFA franc (Niger's official currency) or the Nigerian Naira for currency in Maradi.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} The city lies in a region known for groundnut cultivation.

• Dan Dicko Dankoulodo University of Maradi, UDDM (2008)Law No. 2014-49 of 16 October 2014
• Institut Universitaire de Technologie IUT

File:Bloc Administratif.jpg

The Free University of Maradi was founded in 2004.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

There is a Maryam Abacha American University Niger located in the city of Maradi.

• Siradji Sani, Nigerien footballer
• Mariama Gamatié Bayard, 2011 presidential candidate

File:Gouvernaurat.JPG|Regional government building

File:To market.jpg|Street scene in Maradi

File:Mosqué a Maradi 2.JPG|A mosque in Maradi

File:Mosque de Tchana Maradi 2.jpg|Worshippers at the Tchana Mosque

File:Sultanat de Katchina.JPG|Traditional-style Hausa architecture buildings

{{Reflist}}

• Finn Fuglestad. A History of Niger: 1850–1960. Cambridge University Press (1983) {{ISBN|0-521-25268-7}}
• Jolijn Geels. Niger. Bradt UK/ Globe Pequot Press USA (2006) {{ISBN|978-1-84162-152-4}}
• Samuel Decalo. Historical Dictionary of Niger (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press, Boston & Folkestone, (1997) {{ISBN|0-8108-3136-8}}
• Derrick J. Thorn. "The City of Maradi: French Influence Upon a Hausa Urban Center". Journal of Geography, Volume 70, Issue 8 November 1971, pages 472 – 482

• {{Wikivoyage-inline|Maradi|Maradi}}

{{Communes of Niger}}

{{coord|13|29|00|N| 07|06|00|E|region:NE_type:city|display=title}}

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Category:Populated places in Niger

Category:Tuareg