Niger

Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger hold its 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 in December 1999.

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

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

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

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

0-14 years:

48% (male 2,461,391; female 2,373,617)

15-64 years:

50% (male 2,445,369; female 2,563,839)

65 years and over:

2% (male 121,570; female 109,725) (2000 est.)

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:

1.11 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

noun:

Nigerien(s)

adjective:

Nigerien

conventional long form:

Republic of Niger

conventional short form:

Niger

local long form:

Republique du Niger

local short form:

Niger

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

chief of state:

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

head of government:

• President Mamadou TANDJA (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

note: President Ibrahim BARE was assassinated on 9 April 1999; subsequent elections held under the nine-month provisional government of Major Daouda Mallam WANKE

cabinet:

24-member cabinet appointed by President TANDJA

elections:

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

election results:

Mamadou TANDJA elected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 60%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 40%

• Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID];
• Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE];
• Movement for Development and Progress-Alkwali or MDP-Alkwali [Mai Manga BOUCAR, chairman];
• National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Tandja MAMADOU, chairman];
• National Union of Independents for Democratic Renewal or UNIRD [Moutari MOUSSA];
• Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE];
• Nigerien Democratic Front-Mutunci or FDN-Mutunci [Ide OUMAROU];
• Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU];
• Nigerien Social Democrat Party-Alheri or PSDN-Alheri [Malam Adji WAZIRI];
• Party for People's Dignity-Daraja or PDP-Daraja [Ali TALBA, chairman];
• Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman];
• Union for Democracy and Social Progress-Amana or UDPS-Amana [Mohamed ABDULLAHI];
• Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress-Sawaba or UFPDP-Sawaba [Djibo BAKARY];
• Workers' Movement Party-Albarka or PMT-Albarka [Omar Idi ANGO]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Joseph DIATTA

chancery:

2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227

chief of mission:

Ambassador Barbro OWENS-KIRKPATRICK

embassy:

Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey

mailing address:

B. P. 11201, Niamey

telephone:

[227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64

FAX:

[227] 73 31 67

• 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

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

29.3% (1992)

total:

10,100 km

paved:

798 km

unpaved:

9,302 km (1996 est.)

• Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger;
• delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]