Libya–Niger border
Two desert segments meeting at the oasis of Tummo: a curve drawn by France and Italy in 1919, and a straight line inherited from the old Ottoman provinces. A 1935 deal that would have moved it south was never ratified.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 29 September 2026Suggest a correction
See it on the globe:Libya →Niger →
Two segments
West of Tummo, for about 165 miles, the line follows the Franco-Italian arrangement of 12 September 1919, curving south-east from the Algerian tripoint across dunes and then rocky ground. No detailed description of it exists; it seems to join prominent landmarks.[1]
East of Tummo, for about 55 miles, a straight line runs to the Chad tripoint. It follows the conventional southern limit of the Ottoman provinces of Tripoli and Barca, which Britain and France accepted in their accords of 1898 and 1899 and Italy recognised in 1902.[1]
The 1935 line that wasn’t
A Franco-Italian agreement of 7 January 1935 would have moved Libya’s southern border south, through the Tibesti, but it was never ratified, so the US Geographer warned that maps showing it lacked validity.[1]
In a treaty of 10 August 1955, France and newly independent Libya recognised the border as it stood on 24 December 1951, the day the United Kingdom of Libya was established, listing the 1898, 1899, 1902 and 1919 acts. Niger inherited the line when it became independent on 3 August 1960.[1]
Timeline
1898–99
Anglo-French accords
The Ottoman provinces’ southern limit is accepted as a boundary.[1]
19021 November 1902
Franco-Italian agreement
Italy accepts the 1898–99 line.[1]
191912 September 1919
Franco-Italian arrangement
The segment west of Tummo is set.[1]
19357 January 1935
Unratified deal
A line farther south is agreed but never ratified.[1]
195510 August 1955
Franco-Libyan treaty
The existing line is confirmed.[1]
19603 August 1960
Niger independent
Niger inherits the border.[1]
More borders
Sources
- [1]International Boundary Study No. 2: Libya – Niger Boundary · US Department of State, Office of the Geographer · 4 May 1961
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.