Regions of Niger

Additional semi-autonomous subdivisions include sultanates, provinces and tributaries (tribus).

[6] Prior to independence, Niger was divided into sixteen cercles as second-level administrative divisions: Agadez, Birni N'Konni, Dogondoutchi, Dosso, Filingué, Gouré, Madaoua, Magaria, Maradi, N'Guigmi, Niamey, Tahoua, Téra, Tessaoua, Tillabéry, and Zinder.

After independence, the 31 December 1961 Law of territorial organization created 31 circonscriptions.

The 16 colonial cercles continued to exist, and served as a level of division above these circonscriptions.

The Law of August 14, 1964 then reorganized the country into seven departments, adopting the French second-level administration naming system, in contrast to neighbor Mali, which retained the colonial cercles and regions.