Guide to Niger Introduction Background: 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.
Geography Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total
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
Elevation extremes: lowest point
Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts
Environment - current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
Environment - international agreements: party to
Geography - note: landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world
People Population: 11,665,937 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
Population growth rate: 2.63% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 48.3 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 21.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
Total fertility rate: 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 70,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,800 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk
Nationality: noun
Ethnic groups: 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
Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian
Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Literacy: definition
Government Country name: conventional long form
Government type: republic
Capital: Niamey
Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (commune 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
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections
Judicial branch: State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ANDP [leader NA]; 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 [TANDJA Mamadou, 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]; Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger [leader NA]; Rally for Social Democracy or RSD [Cheiffou AMADOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Flag description: 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 Economy - overview: Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, a landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 3.3% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium 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. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $9.716 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%
Unemployment rate: NA (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 63% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.5 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2002 est.)
Budget: revenues
Agriculture - products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry
Industries: uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses
Industrial production growth rate: NA (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 266.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel
Electricity - consumption: 327.6 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 80 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Exports: $280 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions
Exports - partners: France 41%, Nigeria 22.4%, Japan 15.3%, Switzerland 6%, Spain 4.1%, Ghana 4% (2004)
Imports: $400 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals
Imports - partners: France 14.4%, US 10.3%, French Polynesia 9.4%, Nigeria 7.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.5%, Japan 5.2%, China 5.1%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)
Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $341 million (1997)
Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 22,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 24,000 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 680,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002)
Televisions: 125,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ne
Internet hosts: 134 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002)
Internet users: 15,000 (2002)
Transportation Highways: total
Waterways: 300 km note
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 27 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military Military branches: Niger Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN)
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
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $33.3 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (2004)
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes Chad and Niger
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
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