Niger

Airports

total: 30 usable: 28 with permanent-surface runways: 9 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 14

Highways

total: 39,970 km paved: bituminous 3,170 km unpaved: gravel, laterite 10,330 km; earth 3,470 km; tracks 23,000 km

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; 14,260 telephones; broadcast stations - 15 AM, 5 FM, 18 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 3 domestic, with 1 planned

Branches

Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police, Republican Guard

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $27 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,845,374; fit for military service 994,683; reach military age (18) annually 91,595 (1994 est.)

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

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.165 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $61 million

Electricity

capacity: 105,000 kW production: 230 million kWh consumption per capita: 30 kWh (1991)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989) note: the official rate is pegged to the French franc, and 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

Exports

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

External debt

$1.2 billion (December 1991 est.)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Imports

$346 million (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: 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%

Industrial production

growth rate -2.7% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.3% (1991 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.4 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$650 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

1.9% (1991 est.)

Overview

Niger's economy is centered on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and re-export trade, and increasingly less on uranium, its major export throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Uranium revenues dropped by almost 50% between 1983 and 1990. 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.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 1.267 million sq km land area: 1,266,700 sq km comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction natural hazards: recurrent droughts international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

International disputes

Libya claims about 19,400 sq km 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

Irrigated land

320 sq km (1989 est.)

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

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 2% other: 88%

Location

Western Africa, between Algeria and Nigeria

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Niamey

Constitution

approved by national referendum 16 December 1992; promulgated January 1993

Digraph

NG

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Adamou SEYDOU chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 483-4224 through 4227

Executive branch

chief of state: President Mahamane OUSMANE (since 16 April 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Mahamadou ISSOUFOU (since 17 April 1993) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

FAX

[227] 73-31-67

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)

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

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

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger

National Assembly

elected by proportional representation for 5 year terms; elections last held 14 February 1993 (next election NA 1998); seats - (83 total) MNSD 29, CDS 22, PNDS 13, ANDP-Z 11, UPDP 2, PPN/RDA 2, UDFP 2, PSDN 1, UDPS 1

National holiday

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Political parties and leaders

National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD-NASSARA), Kada LABO, General Secretary; Democratic and Social Convention - Rahama (CDS- Rahama), Mahamane OUSMANE; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), Mahamadou ISSOUFOU; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress - Zamanlahia (ANDP-Z), Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Union of Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives (UPDP), Andre SALIFOU; Niger Progressive Party - African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA), Harou KOUKA; Niger Social Democrat Party (PADN), Malam Adji WAZIRI; Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Akoli DAOUEL

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador John DAVISON embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey telephone: [227] 72-26-61 through 64

Birth rate

54.95 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

21.32 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

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

111 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

2.5 million wage earners (1982) by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% note: 51% of population of working age (1985)

Languages

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 44.61 years male: 43.01 years female: 46.26 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 28% male: 40% female: 17%

Nationality

noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

8,971,605 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.36% (1994 est.)

Religions

Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Total fertility rate

7.35 children born/woman (1994 est.)