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. In early 2007, a predominately Tuareg ethnic group, the Nigerien Movement for Justice (MNJ), attacked several military targets in Niger's northern region and events have since evolved into a budding insurrection.

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
16 00 N, 8 00 E
Africa
total: 1.267 million sq km ; land: 1,266,700 sq km ; water: 300 sq km
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
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
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
lowest point: Niger River 200 m ; highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
arable land: 11.43% ; permanent crops: 0.01% ; other: 88.56% (2005)
730 sq km (2003)
33.7 cu km (2003)
Total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%) ; Per capita: 156 cu m/yr (2000)
recurring droughts
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
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
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
12,894,865 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 46.9% (male 3,083,871/female 2,969,201) ; 15-64 years: 50.6% (male 3,354,783/female 3,174,039) ; 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 155,430/female 157,541) (2007 est.)
total: 16.5 years ; male: 16.5 years ; female: 16.4 years (2007 est.)
2.898% (2007 est.)
50.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
20.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.057 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.987 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.047 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 116.83 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 120.78 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 112.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 44.03 years ; male: 44.05 years ; female: 44 years (2007 est.)
7.37 children born/woman (2007 est.)
1.2% (2003 est.)
70,000 (2003 est.)
4,800 (2003 est.)
noun: Nigerien(s) ; adjective: Nigerien
Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Touareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%, Kanouri Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
French (official), Hausa, Djerma
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 28.7% ; male: 42.9% ; female: 15.1% (2005 est.)
degree of risk: very high ; food or waterborne diseases: 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)

conventional long form: Republic of Niger ; conventional short form: Niger ; local long form: Republique du Niger ; local short form: Niger
republic
name: Niamey ; geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

3 August 1960 (from France)
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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) ; election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%
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
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
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]
The Nigerien Movement For Justice or MNJ, a predominantly Tuareg rebel group demanding concessions including a greater share of the country's uranium revenues from the government
ACCT, 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, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN ; embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey ; mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey ; telephone: [227] 20-73-31-69 ; FAX: [227] 20-73-55-60





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.
$8.998 billion (2007 est.)
$3.94 billion (2007 est.)
4.5% (2007 est.)
$700 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 39% ; industry: 17% ; services: 44% (2001)
70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (1995)
agriculture: 90% ; industry: 6% ; services: 4% (1995)
NA%
63% (1993 est.)
lowest 10%: 0.8% ; highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)
50.5 (1995)
0.2% (2004 est.)

revenues: $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources) ; expenditures: $320 million (2002 est.)

cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry
uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses
5.1% (2003 est.)
234.1 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
437.7 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
220 million kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
5,450 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
5,412 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$428 million f.o.b. (2006)
uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions
France 34.8%, US 26.6%, Nigeria 18.3%, Russia 11.3% (2006)
$800 million f.o.b. (2006)
US 14%, France 12%, China 7.8%, Nigeria 7.7%, French Polynesia 7.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.9% (2006)


$2.1 billion (2003 est.)


$NA
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO)
XOF
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
calendar year
$515.4 million (2005)
24,000 (2005)
323,900 (2005)
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 is less than 3 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)
AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)
680,000 (1997)
3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2002)
125,000 (1997)
.ne
200 (2007)
1 (2002)
40,000 (2006)

28 (2007)
total: 9 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 ; under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 19 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 14 ; under 914 m: 3 (2007)



total: 14,565 km ; paved: 3,641 km ; unpaved: 10,924 km (2004)
300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)



Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2007)
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)
males age 18-49: 2,367,828 ; females age 18-49: 2,217,568 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 1,349,863 ; females age 18-49: 1,256,569 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 129,045 ; females age 18-49: 121,230 (2005 est.)
1.3% (2006)

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



