Abalak (or Abalagh) (in
tamajeq ⴰⴱⴰⵍⴰⵗ) is a town located in the
Tahoua Region,
Abalak Department
Abalak is a department of the Tahoua Region in Niger. Its capital is the city of Abalak
Abalak (or Abalagh) (in tamajeq ⴰⴱⴰⵍⴰⵗ) is a town located in the Tahoua Region, Abalak Department of northern Niger. It is both a town and Com ...
of northern
Niger. It is both a town and
Commune: a local administrative division. It is the seat (''Chef-lieu'') of
Abalak Department
Abalak is a department of the Tahoua Region in Niger. Its capital is the city of Abalak
Abalak (or Abalagh) (in tamajeq ⴰⴱⴰⵍⴰⵗ) is a town located in the Tahoua Region, Abalak Department of northern Niger. It is both a town and Com ...
, one of eight subdivisions of
Tahoua Region. The town had a population of less than 13,000 at the 2001 census.
Geography
Abalak lies near the northern extremity of the
Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
, bordering the
Sahara desert. It also lies along the southern edge of the dry plains and fossilized river valleys which make up the
Azawagh. The town itself lies in a seasonal wash — a Kori (
Hausa) or
Wadi (Arabic) — which retains underground water even during the long dry season.
Transport and economy
Abalak lies along a highway, connected to the main
Niamey–
Tahoua–
Agadez–
Arlit paved highway just to the northeast of the town. To the south, the local road connects the town of
Keita, Niger 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–
Fula people, and also hosts nomadic
Tuareg. 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