NIGER ( République du Niger )

Niger or the Niger French: , officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. Niger is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin to the southwest, Mali to the north-west, Burkina Faso to the south-west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km²  making it the largest country in West Africa. Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert. The country's predominantly Muslim population of about 22 million live mostly in clusters in the far south and west of the country. The capital and largest city is Niamey, located in Niger's southwest corner. The country's name comes from the Niger river which flows through the west of the country; the origin of the river's name is uncertain, though a popular theory is that it comes from the Tuareg n'eghirren, meaning 'flowing water'. The most common pronunciation is the French one of though in Anglophone media is also occasionally used.

The north of Niger is covered by large deserts and semi deserts. The typical mammal fauna consists of Addax antelopes, Scimitar-horned oryx, gazelles and in mountains Barbary sheep. One of the largest reserves of the world, the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve, was founded in the northern parts of the Niger to protect these rare species. The southern parts of Niger are naturally dominated savannahs. The W National Park, situated in the bordering area to Burkina Faso and Benin, belongs to one of the most important areas for wildlife in Western Africa, which is called the WAP (W–Arli–Pendjari) Complex. It has the most important population of the rare West African lion and one of the last populations of the Northwest African cheetah. Other wildlife includes elephants, buffaloes, roan antelopes, kob antelopes and warthogs. The West African giraffe is currently not found in the W National Park, but further north in Niger, where it has its last relict population. Niger has ten recognized national languages, namely Arabic, Buduma, Fulfulde, Gourmanchéma, Hausa, Kanuri, Zarma & Songhai, Tamasheq, Tassawaq, Tebu. Each is spoken as a first language primarily by the ethnic group with which it is associated. Hausa and Zarma-Songhai, the two most spoken languages, are widely spoken throughout the country as first or second languages.

Upper Senegal and Niger was a colony in French West Africa created in 1904 from Senegambia and Niger. Niger became a separate military district in 1911 and a separate colony in 1922, Upper Volta was split off in 1919, and the remainder reorganized as French Sudan in 1920. The capital was Bamako. In 1920, Niger was separated from Upper Senegal & Niger and became a separate colony in 1922. The first stamps used in the new colony were stamps of Upper Senegal and Niger overprinted TERRITOIRE DU NIGER in 1921. The same stamps were surcharged in 1922. From 1926, stamps marked prominently NIGER and in smaller letters AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE were issued. In these years, Niger used the stamps of French West Africa. The first stamps of Niger as an autonomous republic were issued in 1959 and are marked Republique du Niger. Niger acquired full independence on 3 August 1960. Stamps up to the 1970s tended to be large engraved issues similar to other former French colonies, including stamps featuring famous paintings like those of France. Later, more cheaply produced stamps were issued but designs continue to be large pictorials, typically of local relevance with some issues designed to appeal internationally to thematic stamp collectors.

Niger does not appear to distinguish between commemorative and definitive stamps, and unlike many African countries, has not issued cheaply produced definitive stamps for domestic mail use. A series of 14 small official stamps were issued in 1962 and a replacement set in 1988. Several series of postage due stamps have also been issued.

Poste Niger is the government organisation responsible for the postal service in Niger. Niger is a member of the West African Postal Conference. In 2007, the Office National de la Poste et de l'Epargne was split into Poste Niger, which handles postal services, and Finaposte, which is in charge of financial services and was subsequently privatized. This was part of a larger privatization of some of Nigeria's communication industries.

My latest beautiful WWF cover from Niger, sent by David Langan during his african tour. The covers posted on November 08, 2017 and I received  on November 27, 2017.

The letter sent on August 13, 2015 and I received on August 31, 2015.

The main post office in Niamey, capital city of Niger.

My friend Holger postmarking the covers at the counter of Niamey GPO.