Niger

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 6, shortwave 0

Radios

500,000 (1992 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)

Telephones

14,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

18 stations in a single network (1995)

Televisions

38,000 (1992 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $200 million expenditures : $387 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$1.6 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA; bilateral donors: France, Japan, Germany, US

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.

Electricity - capacity

105,000 kW (1991)

Electricity - consumption per capita

53 kWh (1991 est.)

Electricity - production

230 million kWh (1991) note: imports about 200 million kW of electricity from Nigeria

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

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 41% industry: 18% services: 41% (1995)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $640 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4% (1996 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate

0.5% (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

10.6% (1995 est.)

Labor force

total: 2.5 million wage earners (1982) by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water : 300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point : Niger River 200 m highest point: Mont Greboun 1,944 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked

Irrigated land

660 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total : 5,697 km 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

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 2% other: 88% (1993 est.)

Location

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996

Country name

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

Data code

NG

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles O. CECIL (20 August 1996) 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 chancery : 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227

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%

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

Government type

republic

Independence

3 August 1960 (from France)

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

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

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

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

National capital

Niamey

National holiday

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP-AUMUNCI [Issoufou BACHARD, chairman]; DARAJA [Ali TALBA, chairman]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; Movement for Development and Pan-Africanism or MDP-Alkwali [Mai Manga BOUCAR, chairman]; National Movement of the Development Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Tandja MAMADOU, chairman]; National Union of Independents for Democratic Revival or UNIRD [leader NA]; Niger Progressive Party-African Democratic Rally or PPN-RDA [Dori ABDOULAI]; Niger Social Democrat Party or PADN [Malam Adji WAZIRI]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU]; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahia or ANDPS-Zaman Lahia [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; PMT-Albarka; Union for Democracy and Social Progress-Amana or UDPS-Amana [Akoli DAOUEL]; Union of Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives-Shamuwa or UPDP-Shamuwa [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman]; Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress-Sawaba or UFPDP-Sawaba [Djibo BAKARY, chairman]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$32 million (FY92/93)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.3% (FY92/93)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,983,377 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 1,069,743 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males : 95,217 (1997 est.)

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.)

Birth rate

53.73 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

23.98 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

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

Infant mortality rate

116 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 41.09 years male: 41.44 years female: 40.73 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 13.6% male: 20.9% female: 6.6% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

9,388,859 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

2.98% (1997 est.)

Religions

Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

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.)

Total fertility rate

7.37 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

Libya claims about 19,400 sq km 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 NIGERIA

Airports

23 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total : 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 9,863 km paved: 779 km unpaved: 9,084 km (1995 est.)

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

0 km

Waterways

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