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Niger
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 in December 1999.
Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 8 00 E Map references: Africa Area:
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries:
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:
Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum Land use:
Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 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:
Geography - note: landlocked
Population: 10,075,511 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
Population growth rate: 2.75% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 51.45 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 23.17 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 124.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 7.16 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
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 Christians Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma Literacy:
Country name:
Data code: NG Government type: republic Capital: Niamey Administrative divisions: 7 departments (departements, singular - departement), and 1 capital district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Republic Day, 18 December (1958) Constitution: the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 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:
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
Judicial branch: State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; Movement for Development and Progress-Alkwali or MDP-Alkwali [Mai Manga BOUCAR, chairman]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Tandja MAMADOU, chairman]; National Union of Independents for Democratic Renewal or UNIRD [Moutari MOUSSA]; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Democratic Front-Mutunci or FDN-Mutunci [Ide OUMAROU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU]; Nigerien Social Democrat Party-Alheri or PSDN-Alheri [Malam Adji WAZIRI]; Party for People's Dignity-Daraja or PDP-Daraja [Ali TALBA, chairman]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress-Amana or UDPS-Amana [Mohamed ABDULLAHI]; Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress-Sawaba or UFPDP-Sawaba [Djibo BAKARY]; Workers' Movement Party-Albarka or PMT-Albarka [Omar Idi ANGO] International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US:
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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 - overview: Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, its major export since the 1970s. 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. Short-term prospects depend on upcoming negotiations with the World Bank and the IMF on debt relief and extended aid. GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.6 billion (1999 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (1999) Labor force: 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% Unemployment rate: NA% Budget:
Industries: uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 180 million kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 363 million kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 196 million kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry Exports: $269 million (f.o.b., 1997) Exports - commodities: uranium ore 65%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions (1998 est.) Exports - partners: US, Greece, Japan, France, Nigeria, Benin Imports: $295 million (c.i.f., 1997) Imports - commodities: consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals Imports - partners: France, Cote d'Ivoire, US, Benelux, Nigeria Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1999 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $222 million (1995) Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 670 (January 2000), 560.01 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use: 13,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995) Telephone system:
small system of wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 5, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 680,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 10 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 125,000 (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
Railways: 0 km Highways:
Waterways: the Niger is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March Ports and harbors: none Airports: 27 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability:
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20 million (FY96) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY96)
Disputes - international: Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger; delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Please click here for a guide to the country profiles Click here for all other countries
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