Country	Niger
Capital	Niamey
Continent	Africa
Currency	West African CFA franc(XOF)
Languages	French, Hausa, Fulfulde, Gourmanchéma, Kanuri, Zarma & Tamasheq

Locaion

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic Co ordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Land Boundries

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

Geography - note

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

Population

15,878,271 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 62

Nationality

Noun:Nigerien(s)
Adjective:Nigerien

Ethnic groups

Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Tuareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%, Kanouri Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Religions

Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%

Languages

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Country Name

Conventional long form:Republic of Niger
Conventional short form:Niger
Local long form:Republique du Niger
Local short form: Niger

Government Type

republic

Capital

Name:Niamey
Geographic coordinates:13 31 N, 2 07 E
Time difference:UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Independence

3 August 1960 (from France)

National Holiday

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Constitution

adopted 18 July 1999

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:Salou DJIBO, chairman of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, and a leader of the military coup that deposed President Mamadou TANDJA on 18 February 2010
Head of government:Prime Minister Mahamadou DANDA (since 19 February 2010); appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president
Cabinet:26-member Cabinet appointed by the president (Cabinet dissolved following the 18 February 2010 coup)
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round of election last held on 4 December 2004 (no presidential election currently scheduled)
Election results:Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections:last held on 20 October 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results:percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD 76, RSD 15, RDP 7, PNA-Alouma 1, Alkalami 1, Nigerien Party of the Masses for Labor 1, independents 12

Judicial branch

State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political Parties and Leaders

Alkalama; 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 [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Party of the Masses for Labor; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders

The Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantly Tuareg rebel group

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE
Chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone:[1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
FAX:[1] (202)483-3169

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN
Embassy:Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
Mailing address:B. P. 11201, Niamey
Telephone:[227] 20-72-26-61 thru 64
FAX:[227] 20-73-31-67

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band
note: similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band

Video

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Government - Government - Niger Presidency - Niger Niger Assemblee Nationale
Newspapers -  AllAfrica Niger IRIN Niger ReliefWeb Niger Afrik.com - Niger Libération
                              IZF - Niger L'autre Observateur L'Evenement La Canard déchaîné
                              La Roue de l'histoire Le Républicain Le Sahel Tam Tam
Tourism -         Ministry Of Tourism

Google News

This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Democratic senator presses Pompeo on US forces in Niger - CNN CNN Democratic senator presses Pompeo on US forces in Niger CNN Washington (CNN) Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wants answers from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the presence of US troops in Niger after four American service members were killed during an ... and more » Niger: Europe's Migration Laboratory - News Deeply News Deeply Niger: Europe's Migration Laboratory News Deeply A powerfully built man who speaks in emphatic bursts of English and Hausa, Ousmane worked in the informal gold mines of Djado in northern Niger until they were closed by the military. Then he borrowed money to buy a pickup truck and run the route from ... Two feared killed in violence at Niger Delta University - Premium Times Premium Times Two feared killed in violence at Niger Delta University Premium Times At least two persons were on Tuesday feared killed while others were injured following a clash between the police and protesters at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amasoma, in Bayelsa State. NDU, which was shut in March following incessant protests ... 'Two To Five Killed, Many Injured' As Police, Mob Clash At Niger Delta UniversitySaharaReporters.com Reforms spark protest in Bayelsa varsity townVanguard Tension in Niger Delta University host community, 4 dead, many injuredFinancial Watch Newspaper (press release) (blog) The Nation Newspaper -THISDAY Newspapers all 14 news articles » Dangote Lifts 25000 Women in Niger with N10bn Micro Grant - THISDAY Newspapers THISDAY Newspapers Dangote Lifts 25000 Women in Niger with N10bn Micro Grant THISDAY Newspapers The Aliko Dangote Foundation has flagged off its one-off and unconditional Micro-grants programme in Niger State with 25,000 disadvantaged women as beneficiaries, bringing the total number of women beneficiaries to 256,500 across seven states of the ... Video shows US forces desperately trying to escape Niger ambush - The Guardian The Guardian Video shows US forces desperately trying to escape Niger ambush The Guardian Newly released drone footage of a militant ambush in Niger that killed four American and five Nigerien service personnel shows the soldiers desperately trying to escape and then fighting for their lives when friendly forces arrived but mistook them for ... We've Posted The Pentagon's Entire Moment-By-Moment Niger Ambush Video BriefingThe Drive Pentagon releases video depicting recovery of US soldiers' remains in NigerWashington Post New Niger video shows harrowing escape of US forcesYahoo Finance U.S. News & World Report -CBS News all 32 news articles » Nigerian govt wasted $40bn in Niger Delta – Minister - Daily Post Nigeria Daily Post Nigeria Nigerian govt wasted $40bn in Niger Delta – Minister Daily Post Nigeria The minister, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Charles Achodo, at the Seventh Sustainability in the Extractive (SITEI) conference in Abuja, also disclosed that N1.7 trillion would be invested in the region between now ... What Buhari is doing to address Niger Delta crisis-KachikwuDaily Trust Afrika Nå: Niger Delta oil spills - who are responsible?Afrika Niger Delta Amnesty not sustainable –MinisterDaily Sun BusinessDay (satire) (press release) (blog) -Guardian (blog) -Economic Confidential (press release) all 19 news articles » Pentagon video reveals new details of deadly Niger ambush - CNN CNN Pentagon video reveals new details of deadly Niger ambush CNN The video, not previously released to the public, shows the body of Sgt. La David Johnson being recovered from under a thorn tree in Niger, 48 hours after he was killed in the ISIS ambush. Footage from a drone overhead showing Johnson's recovery comes ... FG, others plan N1.7tn investment in Niger Delta - The Punch The Punch FG, others plan N1.7tn investment in Niger Delta The Punch Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja. The Federal Government on Monday announced that about N1.7tn would be invested by various stakeholders in the Niger Delta between this year and 2021. It said the fund would be spent on the development of the region, ... Attack kills at least 17 in Niger village bordering Mali - Xinhua Attack kills at least 17 in Niger village bordering Mali Xinhua NIAMEY, May 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 civilians of the Peuhle community were killed Friday night in the Niger locality of Aguey near the Malian border by armed bandits, sources said Saturday. According to local officials and media, the attack was ... New Niger Ambush Video: US Survivors Left Messages for Loved Ones - Military.com Military.com New Niger Ambush Video: US Survivors Left Messages for Loved Ones Military.com Roger Cloutier, who led the Article 15-6 fact-finding investigation on the joint patrol known as Team Ouallam, for their base in Niger. Cloutier's investigation was more than 3,000 pages long, but the Pentagon released only an eight-page unclassified ... New drone video released of deadly Niger ambushWSAV-TV The Niger Ambush After Action Review: What Really Happened?SOFREP (press release) WATCH: Pentagon Reveals Dramatic Last Moments of Cornered US Forces in NigerSputnik International Council on Foreign Relations (blog) all 21 news articles »