Niger

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

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

lowest point:

Niger River 200 m

highest point:

Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m

total:

2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%)

per capita:

156 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

• 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

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2010 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

name:

Niamey

geographic coordinates:

13 31 N, 2 07 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

Djibo SALOU, chairman of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, and a leader of the military coup that deposed President Mamadou TANDJA on 18 February 2010

head of government:

Prime Minister Mahamadou DANDA (since 19 February 2010); appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president

cabinet:

26-member Cabinet appointed by the president (Cabinet dissolved following the 18 February 2010 coup); (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• second round of election last held on 4 December 2004;
• a presidential election to restore civilian rule is scheduled for 31 January 2011

election results:

Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

• Alkalama;
• Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE];
• National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU];
• Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN;
• Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE];
• Nigerien Party for Autonomy or PNA-Alouma [Sanousi JACKOU];
• Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU];
• Nigerien Party of the Masses for Labor;
• Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA;
• Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID];
• Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE

chancery:

2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227

FAX:

[1] (202)483-3169

chief of mission:

Ambassador Bisa WILLIAMS

embassy:

Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey

mailing address:

B. P. 11201, Niamey

telephone:

[227] 20-72-26-61 thru 64

FAX:

[227] 20-73-31-67

• three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk centered in the white band;
• the orange band denotes the drier northern regions of the Sahara;
• white stands for purity and innocence;
• green symbolizes hope and the fertile and productive southern and western areas, as well as the Niger River;
• the orange disc represents the sun and the sacrifices made by the people

note: similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band

name:

"La Nigerienne" (The Nigerian)

lyrics/music:

Maurice Albert THIRIET/Robert JACQUET and Nicolas Abel Francois FRIONNET

note: adopted 1961

agriculture:

90%

industry:

6%

services:

4% (1995)

lowest 10%:

2.3%

highest 10%:

35.7% (2005)

general assessment:

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

domestic:

• combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains less than 20 per 100 persons despite a rapidly increasing cellular subscribership base;
• domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned

international:

country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2009)

• state-run TV station;
• 3 private TV stations provide a mix of local and foreign programming;
• only national radio station with national reach is state-run;
• about 30 private radio stations operate locally;
• as many as 100 community radio stations broadcast;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

total:

18,949 km

country comparison to the world: 113

paved:

3,912 km

unpaved:

15,037 km (2008)

• 17-21 years of age for selective compulsory or voluntary military service;
• enlistees must be Nigerien citizens and unmarried;
• 2-year service term;
• women may serve in health care (2009)

males age 16-49:

3,202,237

females age 16-49:

3,151,521 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

2,104,378

females age 16-49:

2,129,985 (2010 est.)

male:

177,985

female:

172,180 (2010 est.)

• Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region;
• much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated;
• only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty that also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

current situation:

• Niger is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation;
• caste-based slavery practices, rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas of the country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live under conditions of traditional slavery;
• children are trafficked within Niger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor in agriculture and stone quarries;
• women and children from neighboring states are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and as mechanics and welders

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the Government of Niger does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making any significant efforts to do so;
• the government demonstrated marginal efforts to combat human trafficking, including traditional slavery, during the last year (2009)