]! ^! Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. 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. 
]" ^" Western Africa, southeast of Algeria ^# 16 00 N, 8 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 1.267 million sq km `" 1,266,700 sq km `# 300 sq km ^& slightly less than twice the size of Texas ^' `! 5,697 km `Y Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south ^+ predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north ^, `% Niger River 200 m `& Mont Bagzane 2,022 m ^- uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum ^. `' 11.43% `( 0.01% `) 88.56% (2005) ^/ 730 sq km (2003) ^0 recurring droughts ^1 overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands `Q Law of the Sea ^2 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 
]# ^3 12,894,865 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 46.9% (male 3,083,871/female 2,969,201) `, 50.6% (male 3,354,783/female 3,174,039) `- 2.4% (male 155,430/female 157,541) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 16.5 years `. 16.5 years `/ 16.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.898% (2007 est.) ^7 50.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 20.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.039 male(s)/female `, 1.057 male(s)/female `- 0.987 male(s)/female `2 1.047 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 116.83 deaths/1,000 live births `. 120.78 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 112.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 44.03 years `. 44.05 years `/ 44 years (2007 est.) ^= 7.37 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 1.2% (2003 est.) ^? 70,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 4,800 (2003 est.) _` `h very high `i bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations `s meningococcal meningitis `* highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007) ^A `3 Nigerien(s) `4 Nigerien ^B 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 ^C Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20% ^D French (official), Hausa, Djerma ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 17.6% `. 25.8% `/ 9.7% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Niger `7 Niger `Z Republique du Niger `[ Niger ^H republic ^I `8 Niamey `9 13 31 N, 2 07 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder ^K 3 August 1960 (from France) ^L Republic Day, 18 December (1958) ^M new constitution adopted 18 July 1999 ^N based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government `< President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president `= 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round of election last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) `? Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5% ^Q unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) `> last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1 ^R State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel ^S 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'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU] ^T Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA] ^U ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Aminata Maiga Djibrilla TOURE `S 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 `U [1] (202)483-3169 ^W `R Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN `_ Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey `` B. P. 11201, Niamey `T [227] 73 31 69 `U [227] 73 55 60 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens. ^Z $12.23 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $3.638 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 3.5% (2006 est.) ^] $1,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 39% `A 17% `B 44% (2001) ^_ 70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.) ^` `@ 90% `A 6% `B 4% ^a NA% _! 63% (1993 est.) _" `C 0.8% `D 35.4% (1995) _d 50.5 (1995) _# 0.2% (2004 est.) _$ `E $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources) `F $320 million; including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.) _& cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry _' uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses _( 5.1% (2003 est.) _) 232 million kWh (2004) _* 415.8 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 200 million kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _3 $222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _4 uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions _5 France 47.9%, Nigeria 21.4%, US 20.3% (2005) _6 $588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _7 foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals _8 France 14.4%, US 10.6%, French Polynesia 7.5%, Nigeria 7.4%, Italy 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.5% (2005) _9 $2.1 billion (2003 est.) _: $453.3 million (2003) _; Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO) _< Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 24,000 (2005) _? 299,900 (2005) _@ `G small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger `H wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned `I country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) _A AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) _B 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2002) _C .ne _D 189 (2006) _E 24,000 (2005) 
]' _F 28 (2006) _G `! 9 `J 3 `b 5 `W 1 (2006) _R `! 19 `b 2 `c 15 `W 2 (2006) _H `! 14,565 km `K 3,641 km `L 10,924 km (2004) _b 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005) _I none 
]( _J Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2007) _T 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004) _K males age 18-49: 2,367,828 females age 18-49: 2,217,568 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,349,863 females age 18-49: 1,256,569 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 129,045 females age 18-49: 121,230 (2005 est.) _U 1.1% (2006 est.) 
]) _N 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 which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries 