1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Disputes
Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; demarcation of international boundaries in 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; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
Environment
recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
Land boundaries
5,697 km total; Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km
Land use
arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 2%; other 88%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
Note
landlocked
Terrain
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Total area
1,267,000 km2; land area: 1,266,700 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
50 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
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
Infant mortality rate
129 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
2,500,000 wage earners (1982); agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Language
French (official); Hausa, Djerma
Life expectancy at birth
49 years male, 53 years female (1991)
Literacy
28% (male 40%, female 17%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Nigerien(s) adjective--Nigerien
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
negligible
Population
8,154,145 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
Total fertility rate
7.0 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
7 departments (departements, singular--departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder
Capital
Niamey
Communists
no Communist party; some sympathizers in outlawed Sawaba party
Constitution
adopted NA December 1989 after 15 years of military rule
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Chancery at 2204 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4224 through 4227; US--Ambassador Carl C. CUNDIFF; Embassy at Avenue des Ambassades, Niamey (mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey); telephone [227] 72-26-61 through 64
Elections
President--last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1996); results--President Ali SAIBOU was reelected without opposition; National Assembly--last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held NA); results--MNSD was the only party; seats--(150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected); note--Niger is to hold a national conference to decide upon a transitional government and an agenda for multiparty elections
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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
Independence
3 August 1960 (from France)
Judicial branch
State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)
Leaders
Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14 November 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister Aliou MAHAMIDOU (since 2 March 1990)
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Long-form name
Republic of Niger
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holidays
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Political parties and leaders
National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD), leader NA; other political parties now forming
Suffrage
universal adult at age 18
Type
republic; presidential system in which military officers hold key offices
Economy
Agriculture
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
Budget
revenues $220 million; expenditures $446 million, including capital expenditures of $190 million (FY89 est.)
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $61 million
Electricity
102,000 kW capacity; 225 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Exports
$308 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--uranium 75%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions; partners--France 65%, Nigeria 11%, Ivory Coast, Italy
External debt
$1.8 billion (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
1 October-30 September
GDP
$2.0 billion, per capita $270; real growth rate - 3.3% (1989 est.)
Imports
$386 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum products, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, cereals, foodstuffs; partners--France 32%, Ivory Coast 11%, Germany 5%, Italy 4%, Nigeria 4%
Industrial production
growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP
Industries
cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium production began in 1971
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 2.8% (1989)
Overview
About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock rearing, activities which 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.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
31 total, 29 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel and laterite, 3,470 km earthen, 23,000 km tracks
Inland waterways
Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March
Telecommunications
small system of wire, radiocommunications, and radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area; 11,900 telephones; stations--15 AM, 5 FM, 16 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 4 domestic
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, paramilitary Republican Guard, paramilitary Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Police
Defense expenditures
$20.6 million, 0.9% of GDP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,713,566; 923,634 fit for military service; 90,801 reach military age (18) annually