Niger

The Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in the Saharan Desert in northern Africa, bordered by Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Benin, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria. It takes its name from the Niger River, which runs through its southwestern tip. Like its neighbors Chad and Mali, it has a very low population density and low rates of urbanization, concentrated in the capital Niamey. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world and relies heavily on mining exports, particularly uranium ore.

Niger's religious history is closely tied to that of North Africa, evidenced by the high percentages of Muslims and the minimal presence of Christian groups. Modern-day Niger spans an area that was home to four distinct cultural regions before colonization: the Djerma civilization in the southwest; Hausaland along the southern border, which stretched into modern-day Nigeria; the nomadic Tuareg civilization in the north; and the farming settlements of the Toubou in the Lake Chad basin. Evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the 10th millennium BCE. Parts of Niger were first consolidated by the Muslim empires of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries CE. Contact with European explorers and colonizers occurred in the late 19th century. The French established administration over the area in 1922, after heavy resistance from the Tuareg people of the north. Niger became an independent republic in 1960, and after a series of economic difficulties and political transitions, it now functions as a multiparty democracy with free elections. Many of its minority groups, however, continue to struggle for representation in the government.

Islam first arrived in Niger in the 15th century, brought by Arab traders along the trans-Saharan trade routes. Over the following three centuries, Islam was solidified as the majority religion, though many of the region's inhabitants continued to practice traditional religion in addition to Islam. Christianity came late to the area and has seen limited growth. Most of the earliest Christian missionaries came north up the Niger River from Nigeria, but there were no Christian missions in Niger itself until the 1930s.

Today, more than 90% of the population is Muslim, and the majority of these are Sunnīs. Christian groups account for less than 5% of the population. There is also a small community in southwest Niger that has followed the Baha'i Faith since its arrival in the 1960s. Although very few of Niger's inhabitants follow traditional African religion exclusively, elements of indigenous religion continue to be widespread among the Muslim population. Among the Hausa people of Niger and Nigeria, the female-dominated spirit possession cult of Bori is still popular. The republic's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the country's religious groups have a long history of peaceful coexistence.