Abalak (or Abalagh) (in tamajeq ⴰⴱⴰⵍⴰⵗ) is a town located in the

Tahoua Region Tahoua is one of eight Regions of Niger. The capital of the region is the commune of Tahoua. The region covers 106,677 km². Geography Tahoua borders Agadez Region to the northeast, Maradi Region to the southeast, Nigeria's Sokoto State to ...

, Abalak Department of northern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesCommune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

: a local administrative division. It is the seat (''Chef-lieu'') of Abalak Department, one of eight subdivisions of

. The town had a population of less than 13,000 at the 2001 census.

Geography

Abalak lies near the northern extremity of the Sahel, bordering the

Sahara desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. It also lies along the southern edge of the dry plains and fossilized river valleys which make up the

Azawagh The Azawagh (alias ''Azaouagh'' or ''Azawak'') is a dry structural basin, basin covering what is today the northwestern Niger, as well as parts of northeastern Mali and southern Algeria. The Azawagh is mainly made up of Sahelian and Saharan f ...

. The town itself lies in a seasonal wash — a Kori (

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

) or

Wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...

(Arabic) — which retains underground water even during the long dry season.

Transport and economy

Abalak lies along a highway, connected to the main

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...

–

Tahoua Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative centre of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region.Tah ...

–

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of Agadez Region, it lies in the Sahara desert, and is also ...

–

Arlit Arlit is an industrial town and capital of the Arlit Department of the Agadez Region of northern-central Niger, built between the Sahara Desert and the eastern edge of the Aïr Mountains. It is 200 km south by road from the border with ...

paved highway just to the northeast of the town. To the south, the local road connects the town of

Keita, Niger Keita is a town and commune in Niger. It is the capital of the Keita Department, within the Tahoua Region, and has a population of 10,631 as of 2012. Geography Keita is located north-east of the national capital, Niamey. The town is in the semi ...

to the main road network. Abalak is a regional market town, especially for animals raised by pastoral and seasonally nomadic communities in the area. The town is a center for the "Bororo"

Wodaabe The Wodaabe ( ff, Woɗaaɓe, Adlam: ), also known as the Mbororo or Bororo (Adlam: , ), or Pullo, have a name that is designated to those of the Fula ethnic group who are traditionally nomadic and considered to be "ignorant of Islam." For this ...

–

Fula people The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region ...

, and also hosts nomadic

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Alg ...

. The town is unusual in this dry region for its fishing industry, dependent upon an artificial lake created by damming the ancient seasonal river valley near the town.Decalo (1997) p. 15

References

Abalak, Niger Page
Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. 1996–2004. Accessed 2009-03-27. *Peter Chilson. The road from Abalak: heat, wind, dust, fear. in The best American travel writing, 2003. Ian Frazier (ed), introduction. Jason Wilson, series editor. New York : Houghton Mifflin Co., (2003). *Louise Dallaire. Les touristes ne vont pas à Abalak. L'ABC de l'édition; 2nd edition (2007) Abalak

External links

{{Authority control Communes of Niger Tuareg