northern Niger; demarcation of international boundaries in Lake
Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is
completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and
Nigeria; Burkina Faso and Mali are proceeding with boundary
demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
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
lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Greboun 1,944 m
Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 7%
forest and woodland: 2%
other: 88%
Irrigated land: 320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation;
desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant,
hippopotamus, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat
destruction
natural hazards: recurring droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geographic note: landlocked
People
------
Population: 9,113,001 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 2,233,157; female 2,138,096)
15-64 years: 50% (male 2,202,413; female 2,317,188)
65 years and over: 2% (male 117,337; female 104,810) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.99% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 54.46 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 24.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 117.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.66 years
male: 41.05 years
female: 40.25 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.44 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nigerien(s)
adjective: Nigerien
Ethnic divisions: Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%,
Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about
4,000 French expatriates
Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 13.6%
male: 20.9%
female: 6.6%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger
local short form: Niger
Data code: NG
Type of government: 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: the constitution of January 1993 was revised by
national referendum on 12 May 1996
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 Colonel Ibrahim BARE Mainassara (since 28
January 1996 when he ousted President Mahamane OUSMANE in a coup);
Mahamane OUSMANE had been elected for a five-year term by universal
suffrage; election last held 17 March 1993 (next to be held 7 July
1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Boukary ADJI (since NA January
1996) appointed by President BARE
cabinet: National Salvation Council was appointed by President BARE
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly: elected by proportional representation for a
five-year term; election last held 12 January 1995 (next to be held
NA September 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(83 total) MNSD-NASSARA 29, CDS 24, PNDS 12, ANDP-Z 9, UDFP 3, UDPS
2, PADN 2, PPN-RDA 1, UPDP 1; note - this National Assembly
dissolved by President BARE after the coup on 28 January 1996
Judicial branch: State Court (Cour d'Etat); Court of Appeal (Cour
d'Apel)
Political parties and leaders: National Movement of the
Development Society (MNSD-NASSARA), Mamadou TANDJA, chairman;
Democratic and Social Convention (CDS), Jacoub SANOUSSI; Nigerien
Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), Mahamadou ISSOUFOU;
Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress-Zamanlahia (ANDP-Z),
Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Union of Popular Forces for Democracy
and Progress-Sawaba (UDFP), Djibo BAKARY, chairman; Union for
Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Akoli DAOUEL; Niger Social
Democrat Party (PADN), Malam Adji WAZIRI; Niger Progressive
Party-African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA), Dori ABDOULAI, chairman;
Union of Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives (UPDP), Professor
Andre SALIFOU, chairman
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Adamou SEYDOU
chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador John S. DAVISON
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
Flag: 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
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Niger is one of the world's poorest countries,
with recent GDP growth barely matching the rapid growth of
population. The economy is centered on subsistence agriculture,
animal husbandry, and reexport trade, and increasingly less on
uranium, its major export throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Uranium
revenues dropped by almost 50% between 1983 and 1990 with the end of
the uranium boom. Terms of trade with Nigeria, Niger's largest
regional trade partner, have improved dramatically since the 50%
devaluation of the African franc in January 1994; this devaluation
boosted exports of livestock, peas, onions, and the products of
Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral
and multilateral aid for operating expenses and public investment
and is strongly induced to adhere to structural adjustment programs
designed by the IMF and the World Bank.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 6.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $600 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 38.5%
industry: 17.9%
services: 43.6% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 35.6% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 2.5 million wage earners (1982)
by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government
4%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $188 million
expenditures: $400 million, including capital expenditures of $125
million (1993 est.)
Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals,
slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium
mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 60,000 kW
production: 200 million kWh
consumption per capita: 42 kWh (1992)
Agriculture: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava
(tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $232 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: uranium ore 67%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas, onions
partners: France 77%, Nigeria 8%, Cote d'Ivoire, Italy
Imports: $234 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles
and parts, petroleum, cereals
partners: France 23%, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Italy, Japan
External debt: $1.41 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January
1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992),
282.11 (1991)
note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF
100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since
1948
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Transportation
--------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 11,258 km
paved: 3,265 km
unpaved: 7,993 km (1990 est.)
Waterways: Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on
the Benin frontier from mid-December through March
Ports: none
Airports:
total: 23
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 2
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 6
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 11 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 14,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: small system of wire, radiotelephone
communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in
southwestern area
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 5, shortwave 0
Radios: 500,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 18
Televisions: 38,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Republican Guard,
National Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,920,244
males fit for military service: 1,035,218
males reach military age (18) annually: 92,132 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $32 million, 1.3%
of GDP (FY92/93)
======================================================================
@Nigeria
-------
Map
---
Location: 10 00 N, 8 00 E -- Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of
Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
Flag
----
Description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and green
Geography
---------
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 area: 923,770 sq km
land area: 910,770 sq km
comparative area: 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:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 30 nm
International disputes: demarcation of international boundaries in
vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in
the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad,
Niger, and Nigeria; dispute with Cameroon over land and maritime
boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred
to the ICJ
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
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
Natural resources: petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal,
limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 23%
forest and woodland: 15%
other: 28%
Irrigated land: 8,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil degradation; rapid deforestation;
desertification; recent droughts in north severely affecting
marginal agricultural activities
natural hazards: periodic droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Desertification
People
------
Population: 103,912,489 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 23,455,266; female 23,245,099)
15-64 years: 52% (male 27,645,106; female 26,553,135)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,522,862; female 1,491,021) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 3.05% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 42.89 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 72.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.34 years
male: 53.06 years
female: 55.65 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.24 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian
Ethnic divisions: non-Africans 27,000
north: Hausa and Fulani
note: Hausa and Fulani, Yoruba, and Ibos together make up 65% of
population
southwest: Yoruba
southeast: Ibos
Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 57.1%
male: 67.3%
female: 47.3%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
Data code: NI
Type of government: military government; Nigeria has been ruled by
one military regime after another since 31 December 1983; on 1
October 1995, the present military government announced it will turn
power over to democratically elected civilian authorities in October
1998
Capital: Abuja
note: on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from
Lagos to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending
completion of facilities in Abuja
Administrative divisions: 30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja
Capital Territory*, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue,
Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo,
Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe; note - some new
administrative units may have been created
Independence: 1 October 1960 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1960)
Constitution: 1979 constitution still in force; plan for 1989
constitution to take effect in 1993 was not implemented
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal
law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: Chairman of the Provisional
Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Defense
Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November 1993); Vice Chairman of
the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA (since 17 November 1993)
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly
Senate: suspended after military takeover of 17 November 1993
House of Representatives: suspended after military takeover of 17
November 1993
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the Armed
Forces Ruling Council; Federal Court of Appeal, judges are appointed
by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial
Committee
Political parties and leaders:
note: political party system suspended after the military takeover
of 17 November 1993; the military regime has made successive
promises to allow political parties to register at various times in
1996
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C
(suspended), CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OPEC,
PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMIR, UNAVEM III, UNCRO,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Zubair Mahmud KAZAURE
chancery: 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Walter C. CARRINGTON
embassy: 2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone: [234] (1) 261-0097
FAX: [234] (1) 261-0257
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
green
Economy
-------
Economic overview: The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be
hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic
management. Nigeria's unpopular military rulers failed to make
significant progress in diversifying the economy away from
overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector which provides
almost all foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary
revenues. Regime officials also appear divided on how to redress
fundamental economic imbalances that result in troublesome
inflation, the steady depreciation of the naira, and the
discouragement of investors. The government's domestic and
international arrears continue to limit economic growth and prevent
an agreement with the IMF and bilateral creditors on debt relief.
The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up
with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter
of food, now must import food.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $135.9 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2.6% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $1,300 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 38%
industry: 22%
services: 40% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 57% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 42.844 million
by occupation: agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services
19%, government 15%
Unemployment rate: 28% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.7 billion
expenditures: $6.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8
billion (1994 est.)
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
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 4,570,000 kW
production: 11.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 109 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rubber, corn, rice,
sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams; cattle, sheep, goats,
pigs; fishing and forest resources extensively exploited
Illicit drugs: passenger and cargo air hub for West Africa;
facilitates movement of heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest
Asia to Western Europe and North America; increasingly a transit
route for cocaine from South America intended for West European,
East Asian, and North American markets
Exports: $9.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: oil 98%, cocoa, rubber
partners: US 52%, EC 34%
Imports: $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
goods, chemicals, food and animals
partners: EC 50%, US 13%, Japan 7%
External debt: $32.5 billion (1993)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 naira (N) = 100 kobo
Exchange rates: naira (N) per US$1 - 21.886 (January 1996), 21.895
(1995), 21.996 (1994), 22.065 (1993), 17.298 (1992), 9.909 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 3,557 km (1995)
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 112,140 km
paved: 31,500 km
unpaved: 80,640 km (1991 est.)
Waterways: 8,575 km consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and
smaller rivers and creeks
Pipelines: crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km;
natural gas 500 km
Ports: Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri
Merchant marine:
total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 387,552 GRT/636,578 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, oil tanker 12,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 66
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 6
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 10
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 10
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 8
with paved runways under 914 m: 18
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 12 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 492,204 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: average system limited by poor maintenance;
major expansion in progress
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and 20 domestic
satellite earth stations carry intercity traffic
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 1 coaxial submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 35, FM 17, shortwave 0
Radios: 20 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 28
Televisions: 3.8 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 23,739,192
males fit for military service: 13,587,780
males reach military age (18) annually: 1,065,410 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $172 million,
about 1% of GDP (1992)
======================================================================
@Niue
----
(free association with New Zealand)
Map
---
Location: 19 02 S, 169 52 W -- Oceania, island in the South
Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
Flag
----
Description: yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow
five-pointed stars - a large one on a blue disk in the center and a
smaller one on each arm of the bold red cross
Geography
---------
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
Geographic coordinates: 19 02 S, 169 52 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 260 sq km
land area: 260 sq km
comparative area: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
Terrain: steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m
Natural resources: fish, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 61%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 19%
other: 12%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: traditional methods of burning brush and trees to
clear land for agriculture have threatened soil supplies which are
not naturally very abundant
natural hazards: typhoons
international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Geographic note: one of world's largest coral islands
People
------
Population: 2,174 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: -0.62% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio:
at birth: NA male(s)/female
under 15 years: NA male(s)/female
15-64 years: NA male(s)/female
65 years and over: NA male(s)/female
all ages: NA male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Niuean(s)
adjective: Niuean