Bilma

Region

Bilma is a town and the capital of the eponymous department Bilma in Niger.

Geography

Bilma is a Oasenort in Kaouar valley in the desert Ténéré. The neighboring municipalities are Dirkou the north and east, the south and N'Gourti Fachi in the West. The municipality is divided into four quarters Djoulari, Jularie, Jularie et Boula and Quartier Administratif, the two administrative villages aquer and Zoo Baba and the two hamlets Kourmossour and N'Gini Boulla.

Climate

History

1907 Circle Bilma was created in French military territory of Niger. However, its main town was not the oasis Bilma, but N'Guigmi Lake Chad. It was not until 1911, in the course of administrative reform, in which the military territory was divided into six districts, both N'Guigmi and Bilma to main varieties of each named after them circles.

In August 2006 Bilma was affected by a tsunami caused by the heaviest rainfall in the city since records began in 1923. More than 1,194 homes were destroyed and 4,369 people homeless. For accommodated in makeshift shelters people, the situation in the following months, more difficult by extreme temperature differences.

Population

Had Bilma in the census 1988 2.421 inhabitants in the census 2001 2.300 inhabitants. For the year 2010 6.178 inhabitants were calculated. The population is predominantly of ethnic Kanuri and Tubu. The spread in the community languages ​​are Kanuri variety Bilma - Kanuri, the Tubu language Tedaga and Libyan Arabic.

Economy and infrastructure

The small town lives of oasis economy, primarily of date palms, and the production of salt, which is operated since the 15th century. The salt flats of Kalala located about three kilometers north-east of the town center. Between the oasis and the salt flats are often stored in their thousands, the dromedaries of the Sahara salt caravans that travel in the trans-Saharan trade of Bilma along the Bornustraße south. The Bornustraße is the combination of Tripoli by Fezzan and the Great Sandy Desert of Bilma to Lake Chad. The main route of the caravan trade, however, runs in an east -west direction and leads to Agadez and in the Aïr Mountains.

Bilma is the seat of a military post and a magistrates' court, one of the nation's 30 civil courts, which is below the ten civil courts of first instance (Tribunal de Grande Instance ) are .. Also customs and police services and a post office are available. An infrastructure for tourism, such as hotels, does not yet exist. According to the state of 2003, a few modest grocery shops, a bar and a restaurant only are available.

Bilma is a haven with numerous shallow, smaller lakes and streams leading thereto. Numerous fish cavort in the waters. That was not always so. It was not until modern technology made ​​it possible for it has now drilled several wells from which water gushes through artesian pressure. The town has several water points, the excess residual flows in the mentioned streams and ponds. This is a phenomenon throughout Kaouar Valley: Salt water and fresh water pushing at small distances upwards. Through a complex faulting in this part of the Ténéré desert water from great depths penetrates through artesian pressure in slanting rock strata. Where it flows through saline layers from the Cretaceous period, it enters as brine to the surface and is used by a strong reduction by evaporation of salt production. Otherwise, the date palms use the groundwater and therefore do not require additional irrigation.