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  Niger  
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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


Map of Niger



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Niger Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. A predominately Tuareg ethnic group emerged in February 2007, the Nigerien Movement for Justice (MNJ), and attacked several military targets in Niger's northern region throughout 2007. Events have since evolved into a budding insurrection.
   Geography    Niger Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 5,697 km
border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 11.43%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 88.56% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
730 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
33.7 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%)
per capita: 156 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
recurring droughts
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture
   People    Niger Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,272,679 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 47% (male 3,174,834/female 3,057,003)
15-64 years: 50.6% (male 3,450,393/female 3,267,496)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 159,945/female 163,008) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 16.4 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.878% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
49.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
20.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 115.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 119.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 111.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 44.28 years
male: 44.3 years
female: 44.26 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
70,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4,800 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Nigerien(s)
adjective: Nigerien
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Tuareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%, Kanouri Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 28.7%
male: 42.9%
female: 15.1% (2005 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing
total: 4 years
male: 5 years
female: 3 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.4% of GDP (2006)
   Government    Niger Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger
local short form: Niger
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Niamey
geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
3 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Seyni OUMAROU (since 3 June 2007); appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president
cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round of election last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
The Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantly Tuareg rebel group
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE
chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
FAX: [1] (202)483-3169
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN
embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone: [227] 20-72-26-61 thru 64
FAX: [227] 20-73-31-67
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band
   Economy    Niger Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking near last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$8.859 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$4.174 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (2001)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (1995)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 90%
industry: 6%
services: 4% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
50.5 (1995)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources)
expenditures: $320 million (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$604.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$193.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$318.9 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.1% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
240 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
443.2 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
225 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,550 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,425 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$321 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$428 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 57%, Nigeria 26.4%, Ghana 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$800 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 15.9%, French Polynesia 8.8%, Nigeria 8.6%, Belgium 8.6%, US 6.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.6% (2007)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.1 billion (2003 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
   Communications    Niger Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
900,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: inadequate; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity only about 7 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
5 (2007)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ne
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
216 (2008)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
40,000 (2006)
   Transportation    Niger Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 18,550 km
paved: 3,803 km
unpaved: 14,747 km (2006)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)
   Military    Niger Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (Force Aerienne du Niger) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year service term; women may serve in health care (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 2,871,868
females age 16-49: 2,696,966 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 1,665,108
females age 16-49: 1,548,965 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
male: 150,728
female: 143,379 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.3% of GDP (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Niger Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Trafficking in persons:
Definition Field Listing
current situation: Niger is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; caste-based slavery practices, rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas of the country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live under conditions of traditional slavery; children are trafficked within Niger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor in agriculture and stone quarries; women and children from neighboring states are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and as mechanics and welders
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat and eliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government's overall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; while efforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, the government failed to provide services to or rescue adult victims subjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts to educate the public about traditional slavery practices in general (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


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