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.
Location
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates
16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
total
1.267 million sq km
land
1,266,700 sq km
water
300 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries
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
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease
malaria is a high risk in some locations
respiratory disease
meningococcal meningitis
note
highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
Nationality
noun
Nigerien(s)
adjective
Nigerien
Ethnic groups
Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Touareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%, Kanouri Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Religions
Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
Languages
French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
28.7%
male
42.9%
female
15.1% (2005 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Niger
conventional short form
Niger
local long form
Republique du Niger
local short form
Niger
Government type
republic
Capital
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
8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder
Independence
3 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Constitution
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); Prime Minister Seyni OUMAROU (since 3 June 2007) was 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)
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
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders
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
Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA]
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 - overview
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 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)
$12.36 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$3.638 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
39%
industry
17%
services
44% (2001)
Labor force
70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
90%
industry
6%
services
4%
Unemployment rate
NA%
Population below poverty line
63% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
0.8%
highest 10%
35.4% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
50.5 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.2% (2004 est.)
Budget
revenues
$320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources)
expenditures
$320 million; including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.)
France 34.8%, US 26.5%, Nigeria 18.3%, Russia 11.3% (2006)
Imports
$588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals
Imports - partners
US 14.2%, France 12.2%, China 7.9%, Nigeria 7.8%, French Polynesia 7.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (2006)
Debt - external
$2.1 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$453.3 million (2003)
Currency (code)
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO)
Currency code
XOF
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
24,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
299,900 (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger
domestic
wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; 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
AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios
680,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2002)
Televisions
125,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.ne
Internet hosts
189 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2002)
Internet users
24,000 (2005)
Airports
28 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
9
2,438 to 3,047 m
3
1,524 to 2,437 m
5
under 914 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
19
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
15
under 914 m
2 (2006)
Roadways
total
14,565 km
paved
3,641 km
unpaved
10,924 km (2004)
Waterways
300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)
Ports and terminals
none
Military branches
Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2007)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
2,367,828
females age 18-49
2,217,568 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
1,349,863
females age 18-49
1,256,569 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
129,045
females age 18-49
121,230 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.3% (2006)
Disputes - international
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
