Niger occurs as landlocked sub-Saharan country in American Africa, named fallowing a Niger river. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north & Chad to the East. A capital city is Niamey.

|- | align=center style="vertical-align: top;" colspan=Two | National motto: Fraternité, Travail, Progrès
(French: Fraternity, Work, Progress) |- this | align=center colspan=Two style="background: #ffffff;" | image:LocationNiger.png |- | Official language | French (official), Hausa, Djerma, Tamajaq |- | Capital and largest city | Niamey
|- | President | Tandja Mamadou |- | Prime Minister | Hama Amadou |- | Area
 - Total
 - % water | Ranked 21st
1,267,000 km²
.02% |- | Population
 - Total (2005 eastern time.)
 - Density | Ranked 69th
11,665,937
8/km² |- | GDP (PPP)
 - Total (Year)
 - GDP/head | Ranked 136th
$8.713 billion
$800 |- | Currency | CFA franc |- | Time zone | UTC +1 |- | Independence | 3 August 1960, from France |- | National anthem | La Nigerienne |- | Internet TLD | .ne |- | Calling Code | 227 |} History

Considerable grounds to believe indicates that just about 600,000 years ago, man inhabited what has since turn into a desolate Sahara of northern Niger. Niger was an crucial economic carrefour, & a empires of Songhai, Mali, Gao, Kanem, and Bornu, as well as a number of Hausa states, claimed control across portions of the region.

When you took recent centuries, a mobile Tuareg formed large confederations, pushed southwards, &, siding by using various Hausa states, clashed with a Fulani Empire of Sokoto, which had gained control of good deal of the Hausa territory in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, contact by having a West began whenever a number 1 European explorers—notably Mungo Park (British) and Heinrich Barth (German)—explored a vicinity, shopping for the source of the Niger River. Although French efforts at pacification began before 1900, dissident ethnic groups, especially the wild Tuareg, were not subdued until 1922, when Niger became the French colony.

Niger's compound history & development parallel that of more French West African territories. France administered its West African colonies across the governor general at Dakar, Senegal, and governors in the single territories, including Niger. Additionally to conferring French citizenship on a denizen of the territories, the 1946 French constitution provided for decentralization of power and limited participation inside political life for local consultatory assemblies.

a farther revision in the organization of overseas territories occurred by using the passage of the Overseas Reform Work (Loi Cadre) of July 23 1956, followed by reorganizational measures enacted by the French Parliament early inside 1957. Additionally to removing vote inequalities, these laws provided for creation of governmental organs, assuring single territories the big measure of self-self-rule. Fallowing a establishment of the Fifth French Republic on December 4 1958, Niger became an autonomous state within a French Community. As punishment fully independence in August 3 1960, however, membership was allowed to lapse.

For its number 1 14 years as an independent state, Niger was process by one-person civilian regime under a presidency of Hamani Diori. Inside 1974, a combination of devastating drought and accusations of rampant corruption resulted in the military coup that overthrew the Diori regime. Gap. Seyni Kountché and a little class action of armed services ruled a united states until Kountché's demise within 1987. He was succeeded by his Chief of Staff, Gap. Ali Saibou, who freed political prisoners, liberalized some of Niger's laws & policies, & promulgated the recently constitution. All the same, President Saibou's efforts to control political reforms failed in the face of union & student demands to institute the multi-person democratic system. A Saibou regime acquiesced to these demands per prevent of 1990. Newly political parties & civic associations grow, & the national conference was convened around July 1991 to prepare a way for the adoption of a newly constitution & the holding of loose & fair elections. A debate was typically contentious & accusing, however under a leadership of Prof. André Salifou, the conference developed consensus on the modalities of a transition government. The transition government was installed within November 1991 to manage a affairs of state until a institutions of the Third Republic were put into place inside April 1993. When a economy deteriorated across a course of a transition, certain accomplishments have out, including a successful conduct of a constitutional referendum; a adoption of key legislation like the electoral & rural codes; & the holding of many loose, fair, & non-unbloody countrywide elections. Freedom of a click flourished using the appearance of many recently independent newspapers.

Contention around the regnant coalition elected in 1993 led to governmental palsy, which provided Gap. Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara a rationale to overthrow the Third Republic within January 1996. When leading the military authority that ran the food and drug administration (Conseil de Salut National) during the Hexad-year transition time period, Baré enlisted specialists to draft the newly constitution for the For Republic proclaimed within May 1996. When dissolving the national electoral committee, Baré organized & won a blemished presidential election around July 1996 and his party won 90% of parliament seats withwithin the blemished legislative election in November 1996. After his efforts to justify his coup & subsequent confutative elections failed to convince donors to restore many-sided & bilateral economic assistance, the desperate Baré ignored an international trade embargo against Libya and sought Libyan funds to aid Niger's economy. Inside recurrent violations of basic civil liberties per regime, opposition leaders were imprisoned; journalists typically arrested, beaten, & deported by an unofficial militia composed of constabulary & armed services; & independent media agents were looted & burned sustaining impunity.

inside a culmination of an initiative began under the 1991 national conference, still, the food and drug administration sign-language peace accords in April 1995 with all Tuareg and Toubou groups that had been around rebellion since 1990, claiming it lacked attention & resources from either a central government. a food & drug administration agreed to sop up a bit of previous rebels into the armed services and, by owning French assistance, help others link to to the productive civilian life.

Within April 1999, Baré was overthrown in the coup led by Maj. Daouda Malam Wanké, who established the transitional National Reconciliation Council to oversee the drafting of the constitution for the Fifth Republic by owning a French style semi-presidential system. Withwithin votes that international observers obtained to exist as typically loose & fair, a Nigerien electorate approved a fresh constitution in July 1999 & held legislative and presidential elections inside October and November 1999. Running a coalition of a National Movement for the Getting Society (MNSD) & the Democratic & Social Convention (Videos), Mamadou Tandja won the presidency.

Within July 2004, Niger held municipal elections nationwide when a share of its decentralization run. A few 3,700 humans were elected to recently local governments around 265 new constituted communes. A reigning MNSD person won more positions than any other political person; notwithstanding, opposition parties manufactured important profits.

Within November and December 2004, Niger held presidential and legislative elections. Tandja Mamadou was elected to his 2nd Five-season presidential term by owning 65% of the vote around an election that international observers known as typically free streaming & fair. This was the 1st presidential election sustaining the democratically elective officeholder & a line 1 text to Niger’s immature democracy.

In a 2004 legislative elections, the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD), the Democratic and Socialist Convention (CDS), a Rally for Social Democracy (RSD), the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), and a Social Party for Nigerien Democracy (PSDN) coalition, which backed Tandja, won 88 of the 113 seats in the National Assembly.

A 2005 Niger food crisis struck the united states in the wake up of drought & locust attacks in the previous season.

Politics
Independent article: Politics of Niger

Niger's recently constitution was approved around July 1999. It restored a semi-presidential rules of government of a December 1992 constitution (Third Republic) where the president of the republic, elected by universal suffrage for the 5-month term, & a prime minister known as per president part executive power. As a reflection of Niger’s increasing people, a unicameral legislature was expanded in 2004 to 113 deputies elected for the Fin month term under the majority models of representation. Political parties must attain at least 5% of the vote sequentially to benefit the seat in the legislative.

Niger's independent judiciary is composed of quaternion higher courts--a Court of Appeals, a Supreme Court, a High Court of Justice, & a Constitutional Court.

A constitution besides will bring for a popular election of municipal & local officials, & the number 1-ever successful municipal elections took place 24 July 2004. the National Assembly passed within June 2002 a series of decentralization bills. when a number one step, administrative powers is distributed among 265 communes (local councils); around afterwards stages, regions & departments is established as decentralised able. a fresh electoral code was adopted to reflect the decentralization context. A united states is presently divided into Eight regions, which are then subdivided into 36 dominion (departments). A mainside administrator (Governor) in every department is appointed per government & functions primarily when a local professional of the central authorities.

A todays legislative elected within December 2004 contains heptad political parties. President Mamadou Tandja wwhen re-elected inside December 2004 & reappointed Hama Amadou as Prime Minister. Mahamane Ousmane, a head of the Videos, was re-elected President of the National Assembly (parliament) by his peers. A fresh 2nd term government of the Fifth Republic took professional in 30 December 2002. Around August 2002, good unrest inside a armed services occurred in Niamey, Diffa, & Nguigmi, however the food and drug administration was entity to restore sequentially within many times.

Subdivisions
Independent article: Departments of Niger Agadez Diffa Dosso Maradi Tahoua Tillabéri Zinder

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Niger

Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa located along a border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. Its geographic coordinates longitude 16°N and latitude 8°E. Its front yard is I.267 million kilometer², of which 1,266,700 klick² is l& and 300 km² fluids. This makes Niger slightly to a lesser degree twice a size of the U.S. state of Texas.

Niger borders septet countries in everthing sides & has the number of 5,697 kilometer of borders. A yearn border is Chad to the east, at 1,175 km. This is followed by Nigeria to the south (1,497 km), Algeria to the north-northwest (956 kilometer), & Mali at 821 km. Niger too has little borders within its far south-west frontier (Burkina Faso at 628 km & Benin at 266 km) & north-northeast (Libya at 354 km).

Niger's subtropical climate is mainly hot & dry, using very much desert area. In the extreme south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River Basin. A terrain is preponderantly godforsaken plains & sand dunes, with flat to rolling plains inside south & hills northerly.

A last-place point is the Niger River, with an elevation of 200 m. A greatest point is Mont Greboun at 1,944 m.

View likewise : List of cities in Niger

Economy
Independent article: Economy of Niger

One of a poorest countries in the globe, Niger's economy is depending largely in subsistence farming, livestock, and a select few of the globe's big uranium deposits. Drought oscillations, desertification, a Ternion.3% people rate of growth, & a drop by globe require for atomic number 92 use undercut an already marginal economy. Traditional subsistence farming, herding, small short term trading, seasonal migration, & informal markets dominate an economy that generates couple formal sector jobs. Although slavery is illegal, person rights militant say that a laws prohibiting it come rarely enforced.[http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/nigerbackground2004.htm] A head of the government's National Commission for Man Rights & Fundamental Liberation claims that slavery doesn't survive, saying "Even if they have no salary, they refuse to leave the master because they are at ease with the master;" however foreign journalists report that, based on data from claims by opposition lawgiver, "about 10% of the members of parliament keep slaves or are from slave-owning families."[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-slavery3sep03,1,994890.story]

Niger's farming & stock sectors come a mainstay of 100% however 18% of the people. Fourteen percent of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production--camels, goats, sheep, and cattle--said to support 29% of the people. A 15% of Niger's land that is tillable is observed in the main along its southern border by using Nigeria. Rain varies & whilst deficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its people & must rely in grain purchases & food help to meet food requirements. Although a rains inside 2000 were non proficient, for the retiring troika years rains were comparatively plentiful & swell distributed, contributing to effective cereal harvests. Millet, sorghum, & cassava come Niger's primary rain-fed subsistence crops. Cowpeequally & onions come grown for commercial exportation, as come limited quantities of garlic, peppers, gum arabic, and sesame seeds.

Of Niger's exportation, foreign exchange earnings from either either stock, although hard to quantify, come 2nd single to people from u. Actual exportation far exceed official cost figures, which typically fail to detect big herds of fauna informally crossing into Nigeria. A select few hides & skins come exported, & occasionally come transformed into handicrafts.

A lasting atomic number 92 price slump has brought moo revenues for Niger's atomic number 92 sector, although u however will bring 72% of national exportation yield. A united states enjoyed real exportation earnings & rapid economic incubation when you took a Sixties & Seventies when a opening of ii big atomic number 92 mines touching a northern town of Arlit. Once a uranium-led boom ended in a early Eighties, notwithstanding, the economy stagnated, & freshly investment since so has been limited. Niger's 2 atomic number 92 mines--SOMAIR's open pit mine & COMINAK's underground mine--come owned by the French-led pool & operated by French interests.

Exploitable deposits of gold are known to exist around Niger in a region between a Niger Flow of any stream & the border using Burkina Faso. In October Five, 2004 President Tandja announced a official opening of the Samira Hill Gold Mine in a region of Tera & the number one Nigerien gold ingot was presented to him. This marked a historical moment for Niger when a Samira Hill Gold Mine is the number 1 commercial gold production in the united states. Samirthe Hill is owned by the company known as SML (Societe des Mines du Liptako) which occurs as joint venture between a Moroccan company, Societe SEMAFO Inc. & the American company, ETRUSCAN. Each corporations have 80% (40% - 40%) of SML & a GON 20%. A 1st season’s production is predicted to become 135,000 troy ounces (4,200 kilo) of gold at the cash value of USD 177 by the ounce ($5.70/g). A mine reserves for the Samira Hill mine amount 10,073,626 all about at an typical grade of Deuce.Xxi grams by the ton from either which 618,000 troy ounces (19,200 kilogram) is recovered all over the Hexad month mine life. SML believes to have a total of important gold deposits in what is nowadays recognized when a gold belt called a "Samira Horizon".

Real deposits of phosphates, coal, iron, limestone, and gypsum also have been observed within Niger. Niger has oil expected. Around 1992, a Djado permit was awarded to Hunt Oil, & inside 2003 a Tenere permit was awarded to the China National Petroleum Company. An ExxonMobil-Petronas joint venture now holds a resole rights to the Agadem prevent, northerly of Lake Chad, and oil exploration is on-going. A parastatal SONICHAR (Societe Nigerienne de Charbon) around Tchirozerine (northward of Agadez) extracts coal from either an open pit & fuels an electricity getting plant that the diapers energy to the u mines. There come extrthe coal deposits south & west that are of a higher quality & can be exploitable.

A economic fight created per January 1994 devaluation of the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) franc contributed to an annual average economic incubation of Trine.5% throughout a mid-1990s. However a economy stagnated due to the acutely reduction inside foreign help around 1999 (which step by step resumed inside 2000) & unfortunate rains inside 2000. Reflecting a importance of a farming sector, a link to of full rains was the primary factor underlying economic incubation of Quintuplet.1% inside 2000, Threesome.1% around 2001, Sixer.0% within 2002, & Threesome.0% around 2003.

Around recent years, the food & drug administration of Niger drafted revisions to the investment code (1997 & 2000), crude code (1992), and mining code (1993), completely by using attractive terms for investors. A present government actively tries foreign personal investment & considers it key to restoring economic incubation & development. By having a assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it has undertaken a conjunct effort to revitalize the personal sector.

Niger shares a most most common currency, the CFA franc, & a common exchange bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), by owning sevener more members of the West African Monetary Union. A Treasury of a Government of France supplements the BCEAO's international reserves sequentially to maintain the fixed rate of 656 CFA to the euro.

Economic reform
Inside January 2000, Niger's recently elective government inherited good fiscal & economic problems, including the virtually empty treasury, past-due remuneration (Xi months of arrears) & scholarship payments, increased debt, decreased revenue performance, & moo public investment. Within December 2000, Niger experienced enough for enhanced debt relief under a International Monetary Fund (IMF) program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement by having the Fund in a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Inside January 2001, Niger reached its guide point & later reached its completion point inside 2004. Sum relief from either 100% of Niger's creditors is worth just just about $890 million, corresponding to about $520 million inside net present value (NPV) terms, which is same to 53.5% of Niger’s sum debt great when of 2000. A debt relief provided under a enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing just about $40 milliin by a month all over the coming years for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and more computer software geared at poorness reduction. A overall impact in Niger's budget is real. Debt service as a percentage of government income is slashed from either about 44% inside 1999 to 10.9% around 2003 & norm Quatern.3% when you took 2010-19. A debt relief cuts debt service as a percentage of exportation revenue from either to a higher degree 23% to Octet.4% witharound 2003, & lessens it to all about 5% in late years.

Additionally to strengthening a budgetary run & public finances, the food and drug administration of Niger has start up an challenging program to privatize Twelve state-owned corporations. Up to now, 7 keep close at h& been fully privatized, including a a river and telephone utilities, using a remainder to exist as privatized within 2005. a recently installed multisectoral regulatory professional will help assure loose & fair competition among the new privatized corporations & their personal sector challenger. Within its effort to consolidate macroeconomic stability under the PRGF, the food & drug administratiin is too ingesting actions to reduce corruption, & when the effect of a participatory run encompassing civil society, has devised a Poverty Reduction Strategy Project that focuses on improving health, primary education, rural infrastructure, agrarian production, environmental protection, and judicial reform.

Foreign aid
A first donors inside Niger come France, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF, and UN agencies--UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, and UNFPA. More donors include a United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, China, Italy, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Denmark, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. Spell a U.S. Professional for International Development (USAID) doesn't keep around an professional inside Niger, a United States occurs as major donor, contributing on the average $8 million every month to Niger’s development increasing to $12 million inside FY 2004. A United States as well occurs as major partner inside policy coordination inside food security, education, a water supply management & HIV/AIDS sectors. A importance of external trend lines for Niger's development is demonstrated per fact that all about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, from either donor resources.

Foreign relations

Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy & maintains friendly relations by owning a West & the Islamic world when well as nonaligned countries. It belongs to the United Nations & its mawithin specialised agents and in 1980-81 served on the UN Security Council. Niger maintains the favorite relationship by having France & enjoys close relations by having its West African neighbors. These are the charter member of the African Union and the West African Monetary Union and also belongs to the Niger River and Lake Chad Basin Commissions, the Economic Community of West African States, the Nonaligned Movement, and a Organization of the Islamic Conference. A westmost regions of Niger come joined sustaining contiguous regions Mali and Burkina Faso under the Liptako-Gourma Authority.

Defense

A Niger Armed Forces number 10,000 personnel by having about 3,700 gendarmes, 300 air click, & 6,000 army personnel. A air click has quaternary operational shipping aircraft. A armed forces include general staff & battalioNorth project click organizations consisting of deuce paratroop units, iv lightly panoplied units, & nine mechanised foot units located in Tahoua, Agadez, Dirkou, Zinder, Nguigmi, N'Gourti, & Madewela. Since January 2003, Niger has deployefive hundred the company of troops to Cote d’Ivoire when a share of the ECOWAS stabilization click. Around 1991, Niger sent a 400-human military contingent to join a Our contries-led allied forces against Iraq in the period of the Gulf War.

Niger's defense budget is mild, accounting for astir Ace.6% of government expenditures. France will bring a big part of military assistance to Niger. Morocco, Algeria, China, and Libya keep around likewise provided military assistance. Some Fifteen French military advisor come around Niger. Numbers of Nigerien armed services personnel receive expert training withwithin France, & a Nigerien Armed Forces come equipped primarily by having lesson either from or even purchased in France. It used to be that, U.S. assistance focused in educational videos pilots & aviation trend lines personnel, office military education for staff officers, & initial specialty expert instruction for junior officers. The little foreign military assistance program was initiated inside 1983. The U.S. Defense Attaché professional opened around June 1985 & assumed Security Assistance Professional responsibilities around 1987. the professional closed within 1996 as a result a coup d'état. The U.S. Defense Attaché professional reopened inside July 2000. A Unite500 States provided transport & logistic assistance to Nigerien troops deployed to Cote d’Ivoire around 2003. In addition, a U.S. provided initial devices expert training in vehicles & communications devices to a pick out contingent of Nigerien soldiers when a portion of the Department of State Pan-Sahel Initiative.

Demographics
Independent article: Demographics of Niger

A big ethnic groups inside Niger come a Hausa, who besides be a major ethnic class action around northern Nigeria, and a Djerma-Songhai, who as well come incurred around area of Mali. Two groups, along by owning a Gourmantche, are sedentary farmers world health organization sleep in a cultivable, southern tier of the united states. A remainder of Nigeriens come nomadic or semi-nomadic livestock-raising peoples--Fulani, Tuareg, Kanuri, Arabs, and Toubou. By using chop-chop growing populations & a ensuant competition for scrimpy natural resources, lifestyles of agriculturalists & stock herders use at times came progressively into conflict inside Niger inside recent years.

Niger's high infant mortality is like to levels recorded around neighboring countries. Still, a kid death rate (deaths among youngsters between a ages of One & Four) is exceptionally high (248 by the 1,000) due to typically unfortunate health conditions & short nutrition for virtually all of the united states's tikes. However, Niger's super high fertility (Sevener.Two births by the woman), means that about half (49%) of the Nigerien people is under age Fifteen. Between 1996 & 2003, primary school attendance was in the area of 30% [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/niger_statistics.html], including 36% of males & just 25% of females. Extra education occurs across Koranic schools.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Niger

Music of Niger List of writers from Niger

Media

Niger began to produce diverse media in the late 1990s. Niamey boasts scores of newspapers & magazines, numbers of of which are then fiercely critical of the government.

Radio is the first medium, when tv set come beyond a purchasing power of several of the rural unfortunate & illiteracy prevents the print media from either becoming a medium.

Too when a national & regional radio services of the state broadcaster ORTN, there are foursome privately owned radio networks which amount other than C stations.

3 of a two - the Anfari Class action, Sarounia, & Tenere - come urban depending commercial format FM networks in the major towns. There exists likewise the network of terminated Lxxx community radio stations spread through everthing 7 regions of the united states, governed per Comité delaware Pilotage first state Radios diamond state Proximité (CPRP), the civil society organisation.

A independent sector radio networks come put together calculated by CPRP officials to handle occasionally Seven.Five million people, or even all about 70% of the population (2005).

Too when Nigerien radio stations, a BBC's Hausa service is listened to in FM repeaters through wide area of a united states, particularly south, around the border using Nigeria. Radio France Internationale too rebroadcasts around French across occasionally of the commercial stations, via satellite.

Tenere as well diarrhethe a national independent tv station of the equivalent title.

Despite proportional freedom at a national level, Nigerien journalists say it is typically pressured by local authorities. A state ORTN network depends financially on the government, partially across an addition to electricity bills & partially across straight subsidy.

the sector is governed per Conseil Superieur delaware Communications, established as an independent person in the late 1990s, headed by Maryam Keita, a previous TV presenter at ORTN.

Miscellaneous topics

List of Nigeriens Communications in Niger Foreign relations of Niger List of Nigerien companies Military of Niger Transportation in Niger Yellowcake forgery Plame affair 2005 Niger food crisis