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.

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 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: 730 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

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

Population: 12,525,094 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.92% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 63% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Nigerien
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 1200 French expatriates

Languages: French (official) Hausa Djerma

Religions: Muslim 80% remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian

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/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 20.91 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.61 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant hippopotamus giraffe and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 118.25 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 122.29 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 114.1 deaths/1000 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.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 70,000 (2003 est.)
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)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 17.6%
Male: 25.8%
Female: 9.7% (2003 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
Name: Niamey
Geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 (eligible for a second 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
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; 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]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU 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 Aminata Maiga Djibrilla TOURE
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
In the us fax: [1] (202)483-3,169
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN
From the us embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
From the us mailing address: B. P. 11,201, Niamey
From the us telephone: [227] 73 31 69
From the us fax: [227] 73 55 60

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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $11.59 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1000 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 39%
Industry: 17%
Services: 44% (2001)

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.)

Labor force: 70,000 salaried workers 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry: 6%
By occupation services: 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)

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.2% (2004 est.)

Exports: $222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: uranium ore livestock cowpeas onions
Partners: France 47.8% Nigeria 21.4% US 20.3% (2005)

Imports: $588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery vehicles and parts petroleum cereals
Partners: France 14.5% US 10.7% French Polynesia 7.5% Nigeria 7.4% Italy 6.7% Cote d'Ivoire 5.1% Belgium 4.6% Germany 4.5% China 4.5% (2005)

Debt external: $2.1 billion (2003 est.)

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)

Electricity
Production: 230 million kWh (2003)
Consumption: 263.9 million kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 50 million kWh (2003)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 24,000 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 299,900 (2005)

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)

Internet
Country code: .ne
Hosts: 200 (2006)
Users: 40,000 (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Airports: 28 (2006)
With paved runways total: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 19
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Roadways
Total: 14,565 km
Paved: 3,641 km
Unpaved: 10,924 km (2004)

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

Ports and terminals: none

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