Tongo Tongo
Tongo Tongo (French pronunciation: [tɔ̃ɡo tɔ̃ɡo]) is a village in the rural commune (municipality) of Tondikiwindi (also Tondi Kiwindi), Ouallam Department, Tillabéri Region in southwestern Niger, 174 km north of the nation's capital Niamey and 28 km south of the border with Mali. The village has about 160-170 huts/dwellings, irregularly clustered. There are no roads, only trails that connect to nearby villages such as Siwili, Firo, Sabara Bangou, Sinka Koira, Gollo, Gouré Tonndi, Kokorobé Koukou, and Zerma Daré.
Tongo Tongo | |
|---|---|
village | |
Tongo Tongo Location of Tongo Tongo | |
| Coordinates: 15°3′11.56″N 1°50′7.85″E | |
| Country | Niger |
| Region | Tillabéri |
| Department | Ouallam |
| Rural commune | Tondikiwindi |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Almou Hassane |
| Elevation | 317 m (1,040 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 111,490 |
| (for the whole of Tondikwindi Commune) | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 |
The population of the commune consists of 99% Zarma people (also called Djerma). Most of them own cattle, sheep, goats and dromedaries, renting them out to the Fulani people or Tuareg people for tending. Though arable land is rare and poor, there is also some agriculture, mostly millet and sorghum. The area is part of the Sahel and consists of a vast expanse of plateau and hills. The physical environment is in an advanced state of degradation caused by habitat destruction, poaching, and the vicissitudes of the local climate.