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Background:
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 Not
until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger
hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord
ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in
1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National
Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian
rule by December 1999. 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. |
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Location:
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Western Africa,
southeast of Algeria |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
1.267 million sq km
water: 300 sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less
than twice the size of Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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desert; mostly
hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
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Terrain:
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predominately
desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south;
hills in north |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m |
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Natural resources:
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uranium, coal,
iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum |
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Land use:
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arable land:
3.94%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96.06% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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660 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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recurring
droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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overgrazing; soil
erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations
(such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened
because of poaching and habitat destruction |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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11,360,538 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
47.5% (male 2,749,039; female 2,643,479)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,799,125; female 2,925,133)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 128,101; female 115,661)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
16.2 years
male: 15.7 years
female: 16.7 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.67% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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48.91
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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21.51
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.67 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
122.66 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 118.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 126.96 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 42.18 years
male: 42.38 years
female: 41.97 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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4% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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6,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Nigerien(s)
adjective: Nigerien |
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Ethnic groups:
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Hausa 56%, Djerma
22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab,
Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates |
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Religions:
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Muslim 80%,
remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian |
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Languages:
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French
(official), Hausa, Djerma |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 17.6%
male: 25.8%
female: 9.7% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Niamey |
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Administrative divisions:
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7 departments (departements,
singular - departement) and 1 capital district* (capitale
district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua,
Tillaberi, Zinder |
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Independence:
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3 August 1960
(from France) |
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 18
December (1958) |
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Constitution:
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the constitution
of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May
1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999 |
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Legal system:
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based on French
civil law system and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22
December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state
and head of government; Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31
December 1999) was appointed by the president and shares some
executive responsibilities with the president
cabinet: 23-member Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA
2004); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: TANDJA Mamadou elected president;
percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 59.9%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU
40.1% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular vote
for five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held
NA October 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - MNSD-Nassara 38, CDS-Rahama 17, PNDS-Tarayya 16,
RDP-Jama'a 8, ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 4 |
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Judicial branch:
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State Court or
Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Rally
of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Democratic
and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE];
National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or
MNSD-Nassara [Mamadou TANDJA, chairman]; Nigerien Alliance for
Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman
Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for
Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou
ISSOUFOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua
or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Joseph DIATTA
FAX: [1] (202)483-3169
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU
embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone: [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64
FAX: [227] 73 31 67, 72-31-46 |
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Economy - overview:
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Niger is a poor,
landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on
subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport trade,
and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world
demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in
January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions,
and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The
government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which
was suspended following the April 1999 coup d'etat - for
operating expenses and public investment. In 2000-01, the
World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $105
million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could
prove difficult given the government's bleak financial
situation. The IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction
and growth facility for Niger in 2000 and announced $115
million in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) initiative. Further disbursements of aid
occurred in 2002. Future growth may be sustained by
exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $9.062 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.8% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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63% (1993 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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70,000 receive
regular wages or salaries (2002 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 90%,
industry and commerce 6%, government 4% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources
expenditures: $320 million, including capital
expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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uranium mining,
cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals,
slaughterhouses |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% (2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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242 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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325.1 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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5,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cowpeas, cotton,
peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle,
sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry |
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Exports:
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$280 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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uranium ore,
livestock, cowpeas, onions |
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Exports - partners:
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France 39.1%,
Nigeria 33.3%, Japan 17.3% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$400 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals |
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Imports - partners:
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France 17%, Cote
d'Ivoire 14.9%, China 9.9%, Nigeria 7.3%, US 5.3%, Japan 4.6%,
India 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.6 billion
(1999 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$341 million
(1997) |
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Currency:
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Communaute
Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority
is the Central Bank of the West African States |
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Currency code:
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XOF |
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute
Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7
(1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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22,400 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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16,600 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 5, FM 6,
shortwave 4 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (plus seven
low-power repeaters) (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.ne |
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Internet hosts:
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119 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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15,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
10,100 km
paved: 798 km
unpaved: 9,302 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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300 km
note: the Niger River is navigable from Niamey to Gaya
on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March |
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Ports and harbors:
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none |
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Airports:
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27 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Air Force,
National Intervention and Security Force |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 2,460,637 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 1,333,027 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
122,363 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$21.7 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.1% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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Libya claims
about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of
Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains
undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule
on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; Lake Chad
Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad,
Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over the lake
region, which remains the site of armed clashes among local
populations and militias |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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