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: 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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Niger River 200 m; highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Land use: arable land: 3.54%; permanent crops: 0.01%; other: 96.45% (2001)

 

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: 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

Geography - note: 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

 

People

 

Population: 11,665,937 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.3% (male 2,811,539/female 2,704,498); 15-64 years: 50.6% (male 2,890,119/female 3,009,281); 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 130,953/female 119,547) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 16.25 years; male: 15.8 years; female: 16.72 years (2005 est.)

 

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: 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: 1.1 male(s)/female; total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 121.69 deaths/1,000 live births;  male: 125.93 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 117.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.13 years; male: 42.46 years; female: 41.8 years (2005 est.)

 

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: 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 (2004)

 

Nationality: noun: Nigerien(s); adjective: Nigerien

 

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: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 17.6%;  male: 25.8%; female: 9.7% (2003 est.)

 

 Government

 

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: 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: a new constitution was 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 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: 27-member Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; second round last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: TANDJA Mamadou reelected president; percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

 

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 17, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger 1, other 8

Judicial branch: State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

 

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: 39%; industry: 17%; services: 44% (2001)

 

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%: 0.8%; highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.5 (1995)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2002 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources; expenditures: $320 million, including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.)

 

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 - 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 47.1%, Nigeria 22.7%, Japan 8.6%, US 5.4% (2004)

 

Imports: $400 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

 

Imports - partners: France 17.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.3%, Italy 8.4%, Nigeria 7.3%, Germany 6.5%, US 5.5%, China 4.8% (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

 

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: 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)

 

Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002)

Internet country code: .ne

 

Internet hosts: 134 (2003)

 

Internet users: 15,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

Highways: total: 10,100 kmм; paved: 798 km; unpaved: 9,302 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: 300 km

note: Niger River is navigable to Gaya between September and March (2004)

 

Ports and harbors: none

 

Airports: 27 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 9; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6; under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18; 1,524 to 2,437 m: ; 914 to 1,523 m: 14; under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

 

 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