Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesKaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It is known for its gardens, for salt and

natron Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate ( Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. ...

production through evaporation ponds,

date Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner ** Group dating *Play date, a ...

cultivation, and as the destination of one of the last Saharan caravan routes (the Azalai, from

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 ...

Population

Its population is mostly Kanuri, with smaller

Toubou The Toubou or Tubu (from Old Tebu, meaning "rock people") are an ethnic group native to the Tibesti Mountains that inhabit the central Sahara in northern Chad, southern Libya and northeastern Niger. They live either as herders and nomads or as ...

, Tuareg, and

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 ...

populations, the last being a reminder of Bilma's role as a key stop in the Trans Saharan trade.

Administration and economy

Bilma is the administrative seat of the Bilma Department, covering some of north eastern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesAgadez 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 ...

and the

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif ( tmh, Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, the ...

some to the west) is of growing importance.

Climate

Bilma features a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BWh''). The town lies deep in the heart of the

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

, more precisely in the Ténéré, a hyper-arid desert region lying over northeastern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesChad, and as such is extremely dry, averaging only of measurable precipitation annually. Bilma is also hot during the "winter" months and extremely hot during the summer months and for prolonged periods of time. Average high temperatures in "winter" months surpass , and exceed from April to September inclusively, peaking at in June. The record high temperature is on June 23, 2010. Bilma had the country's lowest ever recorded temperature, −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), on 13 January 1995. The sunshine duration is extremely high year-round with some 4,000 h of bright sunshine annually. The region excels at hot, sunny and dry weather.

History

The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century. The isolation of Bilma made it the destination for disgraced officials under the authoritarian regime of

Seyni Kountché Seyni Kountché (1 July 1931 – 10 November 1987) was a Nigerien military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first president, Hamani Diori. He ruled the country as military head of state from 17 April ...

, and a prison was built there by the government. Political leaders were held there in the 1980s, such as Sanoussi Tambari Djakou, today president of the PNA-AL, a Nigerien political party. During French Colonial rule, Bilma was the site of a major—if isolated—military post at Fort Dromard. In 1989,

UTA Flight 772 UTA Flight 772 was a scheduled international passenger flight of the French airline Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) operating from Brazzaville in the People's Republic of the Congo, via N'Djamena in Chad, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Pari ...

crashed into the desert near the town after a bomb exploded on board.

References

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Communes of Niger Sahara Oases of Niger Tuareg