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| Introduction | Niger |
| Background: | 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 by December 1999. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. |
| People | Niger |
| Population: | 11,360,538 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 2,749,039; female 2,643,479) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,799,125; female 2,925,133) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 128,101; female 115,661) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 16.2 years male: 15.7 years female: 16.7 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.67% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 48.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 21.51 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 122.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 118.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 126.96 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 42.18 years male: 42.38 years female: 41.97 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 6.83 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 70,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 4,800 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien |
| Ethnic groups: | Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates |
| Religions: | Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian |
| Languages: | French (official), Hausa, Djerma |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 17.6% male: 25.8% female: 9.7% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Niger |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Niamey |
| Administrative divisions: | 7 departments (departements, singular - departement) and 1 capital district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder |
| Independence: | 3 August 1960 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Republic Day, 18 December (1958) |
| Constitution: | a new constitution was adopted 18 July 1999 |
| Legal system: | based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President TANDJA Mamadou (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 cabinet: 23-member Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: TANDJA Mamadou elected president; percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 59.9%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 40.1% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD-Nassara 38, CDS-Rahama 17, PNDS-Tarayya 16, RDP-Jama'a 8, ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 4 |
| Judicial branch: | State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Mamadou TANDJA, chairman]; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MICAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph DIATTA FAX: [1] (202)483-3169 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU 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, 72-31-46 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Niger |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 22,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 24,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) |
| Radios: | 680,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002) |
| Televisions: | 125,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .ne |
| Internet hosts: | 134 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 15,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Niger |
| Highways: | total: 10,100 km paved: 798 km unpaved: 9,302 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 300 km note: Niger River is navigable to Gaya between September and March (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | none |
| Airports: | 27 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Niger |
| Military branches: | Army, Air Force, National Intervention and Security Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,460,637 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,333,027 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 122,363 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $21.7 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.1% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Niger |
| Disputes - international: | Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over the lake region, which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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