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. A coup in 1996 was followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council.

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1.267 million km²
Land: 1,266,700 km²
Water: 300 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,697 km
Border countries: (7) 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
Extremes highest point: Mont Greboun 1,944 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 7%
Forests and woodland: 2%
Other: 88% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 660 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked

Population: 9,388,859 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.98% (1997 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

Age structure
0-14 years: 48% (male 2,303,790; female 2,207,542)
15-64 years: 50% (male 2,272,535; female 2,381,033)
65 years and over: 2% (male 118,333; female 105,626) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.98% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 53.73 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 23.98 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 41.09 years
Male: 41.44 years
Female: 40.73 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.37 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 13.6%
Male: 20.9%
Female: 6.6% (1995 est.)

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: 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

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 Ibrahim BARE Mainassara (since 28 January 1996); note - President is chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Ibraham BARE Mainassara (since 28 January 1996); note - President is chief of state and head of government; Prime Minister Amadou Boubacar CISSE (since 21 December 1996) was appointed by the president
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by President BARE
Elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; last election 7-8 July 1996 (next election NA 2001); note - Ibrahim BARE Mainassara initially became president when he ousted President Mahamane OUSMANE in a coup on 27 January 1996 and subsequently defeated him in the flawed election of July 1996
Election results: percent of total vote - Ibrahim BARE Mainassara 52.22%, Mahamane OUSMANE 19.75%, Tandja MAMADOU 15.65%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 7.60%, Moumouni AMADOU Djermakoye 4.77%

Legislative branch: two chamber National Assembly; one chamber with 83 seats directly elected by proportional representation for five-year terms; selection process for second chamber not established
Elections: last held 23 November1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNIRD 59, ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 8, UDPS-Amana 3, coalition of independents 3, MDP-Alkwali 1, UPDP-Shamuwa 4, DARAJA 3, PMT-Albarka 2

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

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, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph DIATTA
In the us chancery: 2,204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-4,224 through 4,227
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles O. CECIL (20 August 1996)
From the us embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
From the us mailing address: B. P. 11,201, Niamey
From the us telephone: [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64
From 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

Economy overview: Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose recent GDP growth has barely matched the rapid growth of population. The economy is centered on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, its major export throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Terms of trade with Nigeria, Niger's largest regional trade partner, have improved dramatically since the 50% devaluation of the African franc in January 1994; this devaluation boosted exports of livestock, peas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid for operating expenses and public investment and is strongly induced to adhere to structural adjustment programs designed by the IMF and the World Bank. The US terminated bilateral assistance to Niger after the coup of 1996. Other donors have reduced their aid.

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $640 (1996 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 41%
Industry: 18%
Services: 41% (1995)

Agriculture products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1994 est.)

Labor force
Total: 2.5 million wage earners (1982)
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and commerce: 6%
By occupation government: 4%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $200 million
Expenditures: $387 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports
Total value: $247 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: uranium ore 67%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas, onions
Partners: France 77%, Nigeria 8%, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Canada

Imports
Total value: $307 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Commodities: consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals
Partners: France 23%, Cote d'Ivoire, China, Belgium-Luxembourg

Debt external: $1.6 billion (1995 est.)

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Electricity
Capacity: 105,000 kW (1991)
Production: 230 million kWh (1991)
Production note: imports about 200 million kW of electricity from Nigeria
Consumption per capita: 53 kWh (1991 est.)

Telephones: 14,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: small system of wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area
Domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $32 million (FY92/93)
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (FY92/93)

Airports: 23 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 12
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11 (1996 est.)

Railways: 0 km

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

Disputes international: Libya claims about 19,400 km² in northern Niger; demarcation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria