Map of Niger | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Niger held its first free and open elections in 1993.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 1.267 million km²
Land: 1,266,700 km²

Land boundaries: total 5,697 km, Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 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

Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 7%
Forest and woodland: 2%
Other: 88%

Irrigated land: 320 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 8,337,352 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.49% (1993 est.)

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 4,000 French expatriates

Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.49% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 57.35 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 22.44 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
Current issues note: landlocked

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 112.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 44.15 years
Male: 42.6 years
Female: 45.75 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.35 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 28%
Male: 40%
Female: 17%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Niger
Conventional short form: Niger
Local long form: Republique du Niger
Local short form: Niger

Government type: transition government as of November 1991, appointed by national reform conference; scheduled to turn over power to democratically elected government in March 1993

Capital

Administrative divisions: 7 departments (departements, singular - departement; Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Constitution:

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president (ceremonial), prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly

Judicial branch: State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jennifer C. WARD
In the us chancery: 2,204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: 227 72-26-61 through 64
In the us embassy: Avenue des Ambassades, Niamey
In the us mailing address: B. P. 11,201, Niamey
In the us fax: 227 73-31-67

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock raising, activities that generate almost half the national income. The economy also depends heavily on exploitation of large uranium deposits. Uranium production grew rapidly in the mid-1970s, but tapered off in the early 1980s when world prices declined. France is a major customer, while Germany, Japan, and Spain also make regular purchases. The depressed demand for uranium has contributed to an overall sluggishness in the economy, a severe trade imbalance, and a mounting external debt.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (1991 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $290 (1991 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor force; cash crops - cowpeas, cotton, peanuts; food crops - millet, sorghum, cassava, rice; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats; self-sufficient in food except in drought years

Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium mining began in 1971

Industrial production growth rate:

Labor force: 2.5 million wage earners (1982)
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and commerce: 6%
By occupation government:

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $193 million; expenditures $355 million, including capital expenditures of $106 million (1991 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $294 million (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: uranium ore 60%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas, onions
Partners: France 77%, Nigeria 8%, Cote d'Ivoire, Italy

Imports: $346 million (c.i.f., 1991)
Commodoties: primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, electronic equipment, cereals, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 26%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, France 5%, Italy 4%, Nigeria 2%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 274.06 (January 1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988)


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Electricity
Production: 105,000 kW capacity; 230 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $27 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 28
Usable: 26
With permanentsurface runways: 9
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 13

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: Niger River is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs