Location: | Western Africa, southeast of Algeria |
| Geographic coordinates: | 16 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 1.267 million sq km
water: 300 sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries: | total: 5,697 km
border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
| Terrain: | predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m |
| Natural resources: | uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum |
| Land use: | arable land: 3.54%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 96.45% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | 660 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | recurring droughts |
| Environment - current issues: | overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note: | 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
Source: CIA World Factbook
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