AIR or ASBEN, a country of West Africa, lying between 15° and 19° N. and 6° and io° E. It is within the Sahara, of which it forms one of the most fertile regions. The northern portion of the country is mountainous, some of the peaks rising to a height of 5,000ft. Richly wooded hollows and extensive plains lie between the hills. The mimosa, the doum palm and the date are abundant. Some of the plains afford good pasturage for camels, asses, goats and cattle; others are desert tablelands. The country generally is of sandstone or granite formation, with occasional trachyte and basaltic ranges. There are no permanent rivers; but during the rainy season, from August to October, the water-courses in the hollows of the mountains are converted into broad and rapid streams. Numerous wells supply the people and their cattle. To the south of this region lies a desert plateau, 2,000ft. above sea-level. Still farther south is the fairly fertile district of Damerghu, of which Zinder is the chief towri. There is cultivation in the neighbourhood of the villages. Millet, dates, indigo and senna are the principal products.
Air was called Asben by the native tribes until they were con quered by the Berbers. The present inhabitants combine the finer traits of the Berbers with negro characteristics. The sultan of Air is much dependent on the chiefs of the Tuareg tribes inhabit ing a vast tract of the Sahara to the north-west. A large part of his revenue is derived from tribute exacted from the salt cara vans. Since 1890 Air has been included in the French sphere of influence in West Africa.
Agades, the capital of the country, which has a circuit of 312m., is built on the edge of a plateau 2,5ooft. high, said to have been founded by the Berbers to serve as a secure magazine for their extensive trade with the Songhoi empire. The language of the people is a dialect of Songhoi. In former times Agades had a great trade, with a population of about 5o,000. Since the begin ning of the i6th century the prosperity of the town has, however, gradually declined.