Essay Example on Explore West Africa's Largest Nation: The Republic of Niger

Introduction

Niger is a landlocked nation in Western Africa. The nation's is named after the Niger River, and its official name is the Republic of Niger. The country borders Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Nigeria and Benin to the south, Chad to the east, Algeria to the northwest, and Libya to the northeast (Just Fun Facts, 2020). The land cover of this country is approximated to be 1,270,000 km2, therefore making the Niger the largest nation in West Africa (ASCL Country Portal, 2020). Also, more than 80% of the country's land is in the Sahara Desert. Niger has a population estimate of 24.2 million and has a population density of 19 per km2. The nation's capital city is known as Niamey and lies on the Niger River. Besides, 16.5% of this population resides in the urban areas, and the nation has a median age of 15.2 years; this is according to the 2020 Worldometer statistics (Worldometer, 2020). Other interesting features in Niger include the Mont Idoukal-n-Taghes, which stands as the highest mountain in the nation, with a height of 2,022 meters above the sea level.

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The official language in Niger is French. Niger was a colony of France, and therefore, this language became dominant even after the nation attained its independence. National languages spoken in the nation include Hausa, Zarma, Fulani, Djerma, Manga, and Tuareg (Just Fun Facts, 2020). Various ethnic groups are found in this country with their makeup as follows: Hausa (53.0%), Fula (9.0%), Zarma-Sonrai (21,2%), Kanuri Manga (4.4%), Tuareg (10.4%), Arab (0.3%), Tubu (0.4%), Gourmantche (0.3%) and others (0.2%) (Just Fun Facts, 2020). The ethnic identities are the common molders of the country's economy and politics.

Niger is a West African nation that has several written scripts, although their importance and antiquity are not clear. Among these scripts is the Tifinagh script. It was created about 2000 years ago by speakers of the Berber languages living in the Sahara Desert (Wallace & Fargion, 2015). Also, there exist numerous collections of rock inscriptions in Niger such as Dabous Giraffes, which is a Neolithic petroglyph giraffe carvings competed between 9000 BC and 5000 BC. The nation has a great appreciation of literature and art through music performances, visual art, theater, the National Museum, and artisan workshops. Literature includes both traditional oral and verbal arts and is written in French and the other local languages.

Niger has Islam as the most dominant religion since it is practiced by about 98% of the population. Christianity and traditional religions occur as the minor religions in Niger. The dressing code in Niger is guided by Muslim beliefs and practices. The dressing should be modest and neat in both men and women (Advameg Inc., 2020). The traditional clothing of men is a long gown that resembles a boubou, but it is also common to see men in long pants, button-up shirts, and t-shirts. Also, it is common to see men wearing Turban style head wraps or hats. The common clothing for women is wrapped dresses or skirts that are made up of bright patterned cloth. Moreover, they are required to have a scarf wrapped around their head.

Dressing codes for men and women in Niger

The major food crops in Niger are sorghum, millet, and beans. Peanuts and cotton occur as the major cash crops. Rice is also grown along the Niger River. Many rural areas in Niger use millet as the basic daily stable although they sometimes supplement this using sorghum, corn, beans, macaroni, rice, cassava, wheat dishes, and cowpeas (Advameg Inc., 2020). For rice, it is a 'status' food and is the food served at rites of passage, special occasions, and holidays. Millet is used to preparing dishes that vary in style among them 'paste' or stiff cooked porridge dough, which is then covered with vegetable sauce and small pieces of meat. Other common delicacies in Niger are grilled meat, salads, seasonal vegetables, goat's and camel's milk in the northern region. However, the consumption of pork is a nationwide taboo in Niger.

National Dish of Niger Djerma Stew and Porridge

Marriages are common occasions in Niger, and the first marriages always arranged by the parents. The level of etiquette is very high, and people observe handshaking as customary. Starting a conversation without preliminary greetings is considered extremely rude. The nation can be termed to host both individualistic and collective societies. The rural communities can be termed as collective societies since jobs are performed in correspondence to the traditional patterns of age, social class, and gender. Moreover, there is a marked degree of specialization in labor in the major ethnic and cultural groups. The tasks are performed in social orders that feature genetic, fictive kinship, and mutual dependence (Advameg Inc., 2020). In the urban centers, individualized societies are common, especially with the emerging new classes due to intermarriages and monetization. The society is of low context since the largest population living in rural areas. Moreover, many cultural and ethnic groups are yet to benefit from economic development in the nation.

References

Advameg Inc. (2020). Niger. Countries and their Cultures. Retrieved 27 April 2020 from HYPERLINK "https://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Niger.html" https://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Niger.html

ASCL Country Portal (2020). Niger: Information about African Countries. Retrieved 27 April 2020 from HYPERLINK "http://countryportal.ascleiden.nl/niger" http://countryportal.ascleiden.nl/niger

Just Fun Facts (2020). Interesting facts about Niger. Retrieved27 April 2020 from HYPERLINK "http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-niger/" http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-niger/

Wallace, M., Fargion, J.T. (2015). Language, Script and Symbol in West Africa. West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song. Retrieved 27 April 2020 from HYPERLINK "https://www.bl.uk/west-africa/articles/language-script-and-symbol-in-west-africa" https://www.bl.uk/west-africa/articles/language-script-and-symbol-in-west-africa

Worldometer (2020). Niger Population (LIVE). Retrieved 27 April 2020 from HYPERLINK "https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/" https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/