Bengou

Region

Bengou ( German outdated: Bengu ) is a rural municipality in the department of Gaya in Niger.

Geography

Bengou lies in the large landscape Sudan and to the east by the neighboring state of Nigeria. The neighboring communities in Niger are Bana in the northwest and in the southwest of Gaya. The municipality is divided into six administrative villages and eleven traditional villages. The main town of the rural community is the administrative village Bengou.

History

In the French colonial period in the first third of the 20th century Bengou initially formed a separate canton. However, this was resolved in the 1930s and its territory joined the Canton Bana. The subordination Bengous under the traditional local chief of Bana led to a series of conflicts between the two places. As part of a nationwide administrative reform in 2002 Bengou was separated as an independent country church again Bana.

Population

At the 2001 census Bengou had 13,452 inhabitants. For the year 2010 18.045 inhabitants were calculated. The population of Bengou is of different ethnic origins, there are, among others, Fulani, Hausa, Kanuri and Zarma. The dominant language and culture is that of the Hausa.

Economy and infrastructure

In Bengou there is a weekly market. Market day is Friday. The municipality is located in that narrow zone along the border with Nigeria, ranging from Tounouga in the west to the east Malawa and operated in irrigated crop production for cash crops. The Niger relatively favorable climatic conditions allow the profitable cultivation of vegetables, sugar cane, mangos and sweet potatoes. Bengou has two primary schools and one middle school, an infirmary and agricultural service facilities.