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Updates: 

I've added the populations from the 2001 census.

Country overview: 

Short name	NIGER
ISO code	NE
FIPS code	NG
Language	French (fr)
Time zone	+1
Capital	Niamey

 

The area now known as Niger was part of French Sudan at the beginning of the 20th century. As the French administration got better organized, the area became a military territory, separate from the colony of Upper Senegal and Niger to its west. Niger became a territory within French West Africa on 1922-10-13. It obtained full independence on 1960-08-03.

Other names of country: 

1. Danish: Niger
2. Dutch: Niger, Republiek Niger (formal)
3. English: Republic of Niger (formal)
4. Finnish: Niger
5. French: Niger, République f du Niger m (formal)
6. German: Niger m
7. Icelandic: Níger
8. Italian: Niger m
9. Norwegian: Niger, Republikken Niger (formal)
10. Portuguese: Níger, República f do Níger m (formal)
11. Spanish: Níger, República f de Níger (formal)
12. Swedish: Niger

Origin of name: 

Named for the Niger River, from Tamashek gher n-gheren: river among rivers

Primary subdivisions: 

Niger is divided into seven départements (departments) and one capital district.

Department	HASC	ISO	FIPS	Pop-2001	Pop-1988	Area(km.²)	Area(mi.²)
Agadez	NE.AG	1	NG01	321,639	203,959	634,209	244,869
Diffa	NE.DF	2	NG02	346,595	189,316	140,216	54,138
Dosso	NE.DS	3	NG03	1,505,864	1,019,997	31,002	11,970
Maradi	NE.MA	4	NG04	2,235,748	1,388,999	38,581	14,896
Niamey	NE.NI	8	NG08	707,951	398,265	670	259
Tahoua	NE.TH	5	NG06	1,972,729	1,306,652	106,677	41,188
Tillabéry	NE.TL	6	NG09	1,889,515	1,332,398	89,623	34,604
Zinder	NE.ZI	7	NG07	2,080,250	1,410,797	145,430	56,151
8 divisions				11,060,291	7,250,383	1,186,408	458,075
Department: Niamey is a capital district. HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2. FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4. Pop-2001: 2001-05-20 census Pop-1988: 1988-05-20 census Capitals have the same name as their departments.

Further subdivisions:

See the Arrondissements of Niger page.

The departments are subdivided into arrondissements, which are further subdivided into communes.

Change history: 

1. 1932-09-06: Part of Upper Volta transferred to Niger
2. 1947-09-04: Districts of Dori and Fada N'Gourma restored to Upper Volta
3. As part of French West Africa, Niger was divided into sixteen cercles (districts): Agadez, Birni N'Konni, Dogondoutchi, Dosso, Filingué, Gouré, Madaoua, Magaria, Maradi, N'Guigmi, Niamey, Tahoua, Téra, Tessaoua, Tillabéry, and Zinder. Their capitals had the same names as the districts.
4. 1961-12-31: Law of territorial organization created 31 circonscriptions. De facto, the 16 colonial cercles continued to exist, and served as a level of division above the circonscriptions. Four cercles (Dogondoutchi, Filingué, N'Guigmi, and Téra) had only one circonscription.
5. 1964-07-17: Niger reorganized into seven departments.
6. ~1992: Tillabéry department split from Niamey (whose FIPS code was NG05 before the change). Status of Niamey changed from department to capital district.

Other names of subdivisions: 

1. Agadez: Agadès (obsolete)
2. Tillabéry: Tillaberi (variant)

Sources:

2001 census data are from the Institut National de Statistique - Niger  website (retrieved 2009-06-05).