Bilma
Bilma | |
---|---|
Commune | |
Coordinates: 18°41′12″N 12°55′09″E / 18.68667°N 12.91917°E | |
Country | Niger |
Region | Agadez Region |
Department | Bilma Department |
Commune | Bilma |
Elevation | 358 m (1,175 ft) |
Population (2012 census) | |
• Total | 4,016 |
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people.[1] It lies protected from the desert dunes under the
Population
Its population is mostly
Administration and economy
Bilma is the administrative seat of the Bilma Department, covering some 670,000 km2 (260,000 sq mi) of north eastern Niger. While it continues to produce salt in large natron salt pans, and this salt is still sold for livestock use throughout west Africa. Tourism (based out of Agadez and the Aïr Mountains some 560 km (350 mi) to the west) is of growing importance.
Climate
Bilma features a
Bilma had the country's lowest ever recorded temperature, −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), on 13 January 1995.[4][5]
The sunshine duration is extremely high year-round with some 4,000 hours of bright sunshine annually. The region excels at hot, sunny and dry weather.
Climate data for Bilma, Niger | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) |
31.9 (89.4) |
35.3 (95.5) |
40.6 (105.1) |
42.9 (109.2) |
44.1 (111.4) |
43.0 (109.4) |
42.1 (107.8) |
41.8 (107.2) |
39.1 (102.4) |
33.1 (91.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
37.5 (99.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.9 (76.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34.7 (94.5) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.4 (93.9) |
32.7 (90.9) |
29.3 (84.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
18.5 (65.3) |
27.9 (82.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
20.1 (68.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
25.3 (77.5) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.6 (79.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.3 (46.9) |
18.3 (65.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
2.5 (0.10) |
7.6 (0.30) |
2.5 (0.10) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
13 (0.50) |
Source: Niger Climatology[6] |
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, 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 crashed into the desert near the town after a bomb exploded on board.
References
- ^ "Annuaires_Statistiques" (PDF). Institut National de la Statistique du Niger. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ISBN 0-521-30182-3.
- ^ "Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog". Wayback Machine. 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Troisieme Communication Nationale A La Conference Des Parties De La Conventioncadre Des Nations Unies Sur Les Changements Climatiques" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ Geographic.org. "Weather data: Niger, Bilma, 1995, January". Historical Global Weather. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Niger Climatology" (PDF). Stats-Niger. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
Sources
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Decalo, Samuel (1979). Historical Dictionary of Niger. London and New Jersey: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1229-0.
- Geels, Jolijn (2006). Niger. London: Bradt. ISBN 1-84162-152-8.