Niger

§1. Niger Introduction

Background:
  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.

§2. Niger Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates:
  16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
  Africa

Area:
  total: 1.267 million km²
  land: 1,266,700 km²
  water: 300 km²

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: 11.43%
  permanent crops: 0.01%
  other: 88.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  660 km² (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

§3. Niger People

Population:
  12,525,094 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,994,022/female 2,882,273)
  15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,262,114/female 3,083,522)
  65 years and over: 2.4% (male 150,982/female 152,181) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 16.5 years
  male: 16.5 years
  female: 16.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.92% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  50.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  20.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 118.25 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 122.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 114.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 43.76 years
  male: 43.8 years
  female: 43.73 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  7.46 children born/woman (2006 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 (2005)

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.)

§4. Niger 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*
  (communite 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: 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); 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: 26-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: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote -
    Mamadou TANDJA 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 25, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
  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 [leader NA]; 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA]

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEMAC, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol,
  IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, 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: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Fatima Djibo
    SIDIKOU
  chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
  FAX: [1] (202)483-3169

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John DAVISON
  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

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

§5. Niger Economy

Economy - overview:
  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, a 2.9% 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. In December 2005, it was announced that Niger
  had received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates
  into the forgiveness of approximately $86 million USD 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 recovered somewhat in the last few years. A
  drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as
  2.5 million Nigerians.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $10.22 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $3.427 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 39%
  industry: 17%
  services: 44% (2001)

Labor force:
  70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector
  (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Unemployment rate:
  NA%

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):
  0.2% (2004 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:
  5.1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
  230 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  263.9 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  50 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  5,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $222 million f.o.b. (2004 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:
  $588 million f.o.b. (2004 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:
  $2.1 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $453.3 million (2003)

Currency (code):
  Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority
  is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO)

Exchange rates:
  Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005),
  528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Niger Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  24,100 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  148,300 (2004)

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:
  137 (2005)

Internet users:
  24,000 (2005)

§7. Niger Transportation

Airports:
  27 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 9
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 18
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  914 to 1,523 m: 14
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 10,100 km
  paved: 798 km
  unpaved: 9,302 km (1999)

Waterways:
  300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between
  September and March) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  none

§8. Niger Military

Military branches:
  Niger Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, National Air
    Force (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
  obligation - two years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 2,135,680 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 1,180,027 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 126,719 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $44.78 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.4% (2005 est.)

§9. Niger Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Libya claims about 25,000 km² in a currently dormant dispute; 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


<Factbook 2006>
