(2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the
euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Communications
Niger
Telephones - main lines in use:
24,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
900,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
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 only
about 7 per 100 persons; 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:
5 (2007)
Televisions:
125,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ne
Internet hosts:
216 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
40,000 (2006)
Transportation
Niger
Airports:
28 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 18,550 km
paved: 3,803 km
unpaved: 14,747 km (2006)
Waterways:
300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya
between September and March) (2005)
Military
Niger
Military branches:
Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger
Air Force (Force Aerienne du Niger) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year service
term; women may serve in health care (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,871,868
females age 16-49: 2,696,966 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,665,108
females age 16-49: 1,548,965 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 150,728
female: 143,379 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Niger
Disputes - international:
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
Trafficking in persons:
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
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
eliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat and
eliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government's
overall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; while
efforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, the
government failed to provide services to or rescue adult victims
subjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts to
educate the public about traditional slavery practices in general
(2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Nigeria
Introduction
Nigeria
Background:
British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew
through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War
II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960.
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was
adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government
was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of
reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been
squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and
institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to
experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both
the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant
irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its
longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general
elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian
transfer of power in the country's history.
Geography
Nigeria
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and
Cameroon
Geographic coordinates:
10 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 923,768 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger
1,497 km
Coastline:
853 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
Terrain:
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains
in southeast, plains in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium,
lead, zinc, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 33.02%
permanent crops: 3.14%
other: 63.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,820 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
286.2 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%)
per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; flooding
Environment - current issues:
soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water
pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil;
has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land;
rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward
through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of
Guinea
People
Nigeria
Population:
146,255,312
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 31,171,949/female 29,806,204)
15-64 years: 55.3% (male 41,243,003/female 39,611,565)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,152,318/female 2,270,267) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.9 years
male: 18.8 years
female: 19 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.025% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
37.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
16.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 95.74 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 101.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 89.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.53 years
male: 45.78 years
female: 47.32 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3.6 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly
endemic areas for Lassa fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis and shistosomiasis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian
Ethnic groups:
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than
250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and
politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo
(Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%
Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages:
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 9 years
female: 7 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (1991)
Government
Nigeria
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Abuja
geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra,
Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo,
Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa,
Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger,
Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara
Independence:
1 October 1960 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)
Constitution:
new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999
Legal system:
based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states),
and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007)
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 21 April 2007 (next
to be held in April 2011)
election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president; percent of
vote - Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA 69.8%, Muhammadu BUHARI 18.7%, Atiku
ABUBAKAR 7.5%, Orji Uzor KALU 1.7%, other 2.3%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats, 3
from each state plus 1 from Abuja; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in
April 2011); House of Representatives - last held 21 April 2007
(next to be held in April 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%,
ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%, other 8.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27,
AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP
54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, UNPP 2.8%, NPD 1.9%, APGA 1.6%, PRP
0.8%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6, UNPP 2, APGA 2, NPD 1,
PRP 1, vacant 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of
Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice
of the Advisory Judicial Committee)
Political parties and leaders:
Accord Party [Ikra Aliyu BILBIS]; Action Congress or AC [Hassan
ZUMI]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All
Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE]; All Progressives
Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic People's Party
or DPP [Jeremiah USENI]; Fresh Democratic Party [Chris OKOTIE];
Labor Party [Dan NWANYANWU]; Movement for the Restoration and
Defense of Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo JIMETA]; National
Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party
or PDP [vacant]; Peoples Progressive Alliance [Clement EBRI];
Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples
Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples
Party or UNPP [Mallam Selah JAMBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Academic Staff Union for Universities or ASUU; Campaign for
Democracy or CD; Civil Liberties Organization or CLO; Committee for
the Defense of Human Rights or CDHR; Constitutional Right Project or
CRP; Human Right Africa; National Association of Democratic Lawyers
or NADL; National Association of Nigerian Students or NANS; Nigerian
Bar Association or NBA; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC; Nigerian
Medical Association or NMA; the Press; Universal Defenders of
Democracy or UDD
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Oluwole ROTIMI
chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robin SANDERS
embassy: 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja
mailing address: P. O. Box 5760, Garki, Abuja
telephone: [234] (9) 461-4000
FAX: [234] (9) 461-4036
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green
Economy
Nigeria
Economy - overview:
Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption,
inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is
undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration.
Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy
away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector,
which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and
about 80% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence
agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population
growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the
country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food.
Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000,
Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a
$1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms.
Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing
to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for
additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year
the government has begun showing the political will to implement the
market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the
banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage
demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of
earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began
deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the
country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic
Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run
program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility
for fiscal and monetary management. In November 2005, Abuja won
Paris Club approval for a debt-relief deal that eliminated $18
billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total
package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external
debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF
reviews. GDP rose strongly in 2007, based largely on increased oil
exports and high global crude prices. Newly-elected President
YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his
predecessor and the proposed budget for 2008 reflects the
administrations emphasis on infrastructure improvements.
Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is
working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for
electricity and roads.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$296.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$166.8 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 52.6%
services: 29.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
50.13 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 70%
industry: 10%
services: 20% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
70% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 33.2% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.7 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $19.43 billion
expenditures: $20.36 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
14.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
9.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.94% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$21.72 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$19.07 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$16.15 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava
(tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish
Industries:
crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber,
wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction
materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing,
ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
22.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
15.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.9%
hydro: 38.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
2.352 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
312,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
2.473 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
154,300 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
36.22 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
34.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
12.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
21.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
5.21 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$2.514 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$61.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
Exports - partners:
US 51.6%, Brazil 8.9%, Spain 7.7% (2007)
Imports:
$38.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food
and live animals
Imports - partners:
China 10.6%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 7.8%, South Korea 6.6%, UK 5.7%,
France 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$6.437 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$51.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.007 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$33.64 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$12.63 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$32.82 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
naira (NGN)
Currency code:
NGN
Exchange rates:
nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59
(2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003)
Communications
Nigeria
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.58 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
40.395 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: further expansion and modernization of the
fixed-line telephone network is needed
domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002
resulted in faster growth but subscribership remains only about 1
per 100 persons; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part
responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple
service providers operate nationally; mobile-cellular teledensity
reached 30 per 100 persons in 2007
international: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)
Radios:
23.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15
repeater stations) (2001)
Televisions:
6.9 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.ng
Internet hosts:
1,048 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2000)
Internet users:
10 million (2007)
Transportation
Nigeria
Airports:
70 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 19 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 124 km; gas 3,071 km; liquid petroleum gas 156 km; oil
4,347 km; refined products 3,949 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 3,505 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 193,200 km
paved: 28,980 km
unpaved: 164,220 km (2004)
Waterways:
8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks)
(2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 68
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 12, combination ore/oil 1,
liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 46, specialized
tanker 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Japan 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cook
Islands 1, Georgia 1, Italy 1, Liberia 2, Panama 10, Poland 1,
Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, unknown 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and
offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea as high risk
for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial
vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while
underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military
Nigeria
Military branches:
Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service: