In the south-west is the far larger, seasonally flooded Niger valley, the pastures of which nourish livestock that have to contend with nine months of drought for the rest of the year. Rice and other crops are grown by the Djerma and Songhai peoples as the Niger flood declines. Niger thus has three very disparate physical and cultural foci. Unity has been encouraged by French aid and by economic advance, but the attraction of the more prosperous neighbouring state of Nigeria is considerable. Animal life, which must be able to endure hunger and thirst, includes the dromedary.
Animal life includes the ostrich and the gazelle.
In the cultivated zone the vegetation includes acacia trees, doum palms, and palmyra palms, as well as baobabs. The extreme southwest is a savanna region where baobabs, kapok trees, and tamarind trees occur.