Niger

Geography: Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 8 00 E Area: total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km 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 Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1998 est.)

People: Population: 11,360,538 (July 2004 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 2,749,039; female 2,643,479) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,799,125; female 2,925,133) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 128,101; female 115,661) (2004 est.) Median age: total: 16.2 years male: 15.7 years female: 16.7 years (2004 est.) Population growth rate: 2.67% (2004 est.) Birth rate: 48.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) Death rate: 21.51 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) Net migration rate: -0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 122.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 126.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 118.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.18 years male: 42.38 years female: 41.97 years (2004 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.83 children born/woman (2004 est.) Nationality: noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien Ethnic groups: 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 Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 17.6% male: 25.8% female: 9.7% (2003 est.)

Economy: Economy overview:   GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.062 billion (2003 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2003 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39% industry: 17% services: 44% (2001) Population below poverty line: 63% (1993 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 35.4% (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2002 est.) Labor force: 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% Unemployment rate: NA (2002 est.) Budget: revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources expenditures: $320 million, including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.) Agriculture - products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry Industries: uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses Industrial production growth rate: NA (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 242 million kWh (2001) Electricity - consumption: 325.1 million kWh (2001) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001) Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2001) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) Oil - consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) Oil - exports: NA (2001) Oil - imports: NA (2001) Exports: $280 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) Exports - commodities: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions Exports - partners: France 42.2%, Nigeria 28.9%, Japan 17.2%, Spain 4.4% (2003 est.) Imports: $400 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals Imports - partners: France 16.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 13.8%, China 10.5%, Nigeria 7.7%, US 5.5%, Japan 4.9% (2003 est.) Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1999 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $341 million (1997) Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999) Fiscal year: calendar year