]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" 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 `U 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 ^. `' 3.54% `( 0.01% `) 96.45% (2001) ^/ 660 sq km (1998 est.) ^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 _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands `L 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 11,665,937 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 47.3% (male 2,811,539/female 2,704,498) `+ 50.6% (male 2,890,119/female 3,009,281) `, 2.1% (male 130,953/female 119,547) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 16.25 years `- 15.8 years `. 16.72 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.63% (2005 est.) ^7 48.3 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 21.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 0.96 male(s)/female `, 1.1 male(s)/female `1 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 121.69 deaths/1,000 live births `- 125.93 deaths/1,000 live births `. 117.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 43.5 years `- 43.54 years `. 43.45 years (2005 est.) ^= 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 1.2% (2003 est.) ^? 70,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 4,800 (2003 est.) __ degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004) ^A `2 Nigerien(s) `3 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%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian ^D French (official), Hausa, Djerma ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 17.6% `- 25.8% `. 9.7% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Niger `5 Niger `V Republique du Niger `W Niger ^H republic ^I Niamey ^J 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (commune 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 `6 President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government `7 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 `8 27-member Cabinet appointed by the president `9 president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; second round last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president `: TANDJA Mamadou reelected president; percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5% ^Q unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) `9 last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) `: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 17, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger 1, other 8 ^R State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel ^S Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ANDP [leader NA]; 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 [TANDJA Mamadou, 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]; Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger [leader NA]; Rally for Social Democracy or RSD [Cheiffou AMADOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman] ^T NA ^U 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, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Joseph DIATTA `O 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 `Q [1] (202)483-3169 ^W `N Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU `Z Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey `[ B. P. 11201, Niamey `P [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64 `Q [227] 73 31 67, 72-31-46 ^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, a landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 3.3% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium 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. 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. ^Z $9.716 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 3.5% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $900 (2004 est.) ^] `; 39% `< 17% `= 44% (2001) ^^ 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries (2002 est.) ^_ agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% ^` NA (2002 est.) ^a 63% (1993 est.) _! `> 0.8% `? 35.4% (1995) _d 50.5 (1995) _" 3% (2002 est.) _# `@ $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources `A $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 _& NA (2001 est.) _' 266.2 million kWh (2002) _( 327.6 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 80 million kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $280 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _0 uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions _1 France 41%, Nigeria 22.4%, Japan 15.3%, Switzerland 6%, Spain 4.1%, Ghana 4% (2004) _2 $400 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _3 foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals _4 France 14.4%, US 10.3%, French Polynesia 9.4%, Nigeria 7.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.5%, Japan 5.2%, China 5.1%, Thailand 4.1% (2004) _5 $1.6 billion (1999 est.) _6 $341 million (1997) _7 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States _8 Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 22,400 (2002) _; 24,000 (2003) _< `B small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger `C wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned `D country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) _= AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) _> 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002) _? .ne _@ 134 (2003) _A 15,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! 10,100 km `E 798 km `F 9,302 km (1999 est.) _b 300 km note: Niger River is navigable to Gaya between September and March (2004) _C none _D 27 (2004 est.) _E `! 9 `G 2 `^ 6 `T 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 18 `^ 2 `_ 14 `T 2 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Niger Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, National Air Force (2005) _M 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004) _] males age 18-49: 2,135,680 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,180,027 (2005 est.) _^ `` 126,719 (2005 est.) _N $33.3 million (2004) _O 1.1% (2004) 
]) _H Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes Chad and Niger 