2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

7 departments (departements, singular - departement) and 1 capital district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Age structure

0-14 years: 47.6% (male 2,686,169; female 2,581,785) 15-64 years: 50.2% (male 2,710,554; female 2,842,319) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 125,505; female 112,258) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Airports

27 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total

9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

under 914 m

1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m

2 (2002) Military Niger

Area

land

1,266,700 sq km

total

1.267 million sq km

water

300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Background

Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger hold it's first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule by December 1999. Geography Niger

Birth rate

49.54 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$320 million, including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.)

revenues

$320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources

Capital

Niamey

Climate

desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Niger

conventional short form

Niger

local long form

Republique du Niger

local short form

Niger

Currency

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

Currency code

XOF

Death rate

21.71 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$1.6 billion (1999 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU

embassy

Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey

mailing address

B. P. 11201, Niamey

telephone

[227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Joseph DIATTA

Disputes - international

Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over the lake region, which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50.5 (1995)

Economic aid - recipient

$341 million (1997)

Economy - overview

Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which was suspended following the April 1999 coup d'etat - for operating expenses and public investment. In 2000-01, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $105 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation. The IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction and growth facility for Niger in 2000 and announced $115 million in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Further disbursements of aid occurred in 2002. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources.

Electricity - consumption

325.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

100 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

242 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

lowest point

Niger River 200 m

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

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

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

23-member Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

TANDJA Mamadou elected president; percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 59.9%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 40.1%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

President TANDJA Mamadou (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

Exports

$293 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners

France 39%, Nigeria 33.2%, Japan 17.1% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202)483-3169

[227] 73 31 67, 72-31-46

chancery

2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Niger

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 Niger

GDP

purchasing power parity - $8.713 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

39%

industry

17%

services

44% (2001)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.9% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

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 People Niger

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

798 km

total

10,100 km

unpaved

9,302 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

6,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

35.4% (1995)

lowest 10%

0.8%

Imports

$368 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners

France 16.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 14.9%, China 9.8%, Nigeria 7.4%, US 5.2%, Japan 4.6%, India 4.4% (2002)

Independence

3 August 1960 (from France)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Infant mortality rate

female

119.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

127.99 deaths/1,000 live births

total

123.64 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Internet country code

.ne

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2002)

Internet users

12,000 (2002) Transportation Niger

Irrigated land

660 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Labor force

70,000 receive regular wages or salaries

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Land boundaries

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

total

5,697 km

Land use

arable land

3.94%

other

96.06% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD-Nassara 38, CDS-Rahama 17, PNDS-Tarayya 16, RDP-Jama'a 8, ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 4

elections

last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

Life expectancy at birth

female

42.12 years (2003 est.)

male

42.29 years

total population

42.21 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

9.7% (2003 est.) Government Niger

male

25.8%

total population

17.6%

Location

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

16.6 years (2002)

male

15.6 years

total

16.1 years

Military branches

Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Intervention and Security Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$20.54 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.1% (FY02) Transnational Issues Niger

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

2,379,485 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

1,288,396 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

119,367 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Nationality

adjective

Nigerien

noun

Nigerien(s)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum

Net migration rate

-0.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Mamadou TANDJA, chairman]; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

11,058,590 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

63% (1993 est.)

Population growth rate

2.71% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

none

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios

680,000 (1997)

Railways

0 km

Religions

Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned

general assessment

small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

20,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular

6,700 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002)

Televisions

125,000 (1997)

Terrain

predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north

Total fertility rate

6.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

300 km

note

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