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

noun:

Nigerien(s)

adjective:

Nigerien

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 (2011 est.)

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:

President ISSOUFOU Mahamadou (since 7 April 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Brigi RAFINI (since 7 April 2011); appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president

cabinet:

26-member Cabinet appointed by the president; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• candidate must receive a majority of the votes to be elected president;
• a presidential election to restore civilian rule was held 31 January 2011 with a runoff election between Issoufou MAHAMADOU and Seini OUMAROU held on 12 March 2011

election results:

Issoufou MAHAMADOU elected president in a runoff election; percent of vote - Issoufou MAHAMADOU 58%, Seini OUMAROU 42%

• Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE];
• National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara;
• Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN;
• Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE];
• Nigerien Democratic Movement for an African Federation or MODEN/FA Lumana;
• Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU];
• Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID];
• Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU];
• Union for Democracy and the Republic-Tabbat or UDR-Tabbat;
• Union of Independent Nigeriens or UNI

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%:

3.7%

highest 10%:

28.5% (2007)

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:

3,329,184

females age 16-49:

3,267,669 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

2,194,570

females age 16-49:

2,219,416 (2010 est.)

male:

186,348

female:

180,779 (2010 est.)

• Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region;
• location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved;
• 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;
• the dispute with Burkina Faso was referred to the ICJ in 2010

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;
• to a lesser extent, Nigerien women and children are recruited from Niger and transported to Nigeria, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe for domestic servitude and sex trafficking

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the Government of Niger does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government demonstrated marginal efforts to combat human trafficking, including traditional slavery;
• the transitional government enacted the country's first specific law to address trafficking;
• however, the government's few efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses during the year came only after receiving complaints from NGOs, and efforts to prosecute cases of traditional slavery and to provide assistance to victims remained weak (2011)