Niger

This article is about the country. For the adjacent country, see Nigeria. For the state in Nigeria, see Niger State. For other uses, see Niger (disambiguation).

Republic of the Niger
République du Niger (French)
Motto: 
  • "Fraternité, Travail, Progrès" (French)
  • "Fraternity, Work, Progress"
Anthem: L'Honneur de la Patrie (French)
"The Honour of the Fatherland"
Location of Niger (dark green)
Location of Niger (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Niamey
13°30′49″N 2°06′32″E / 13.51361°N 2.10889°E / 13.51361; 2.10889
Official languagesFrench
National languages[1]
Ethnic groups
(2021)[2]
Religion
(2012)[3]
Demonym(s)Nigerien[4]
GovernmentUnitary republic under a military junta
Abdourahamane Tchiani[5]
Salifou Modi[6]
Ali Lamine Zeine
LegislatureNational Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland
Independence 
from France
• Republic proclaimed
18 December 1958
• Declared
3 August 1960
26 July 2023
Area
• Total
1,267,000 km2 (489,000 sq mi) (21st)
• Water (%)
0.02
Population
• 2024 estimate
26,342,784[7] (56th)
• Density
12.1/km2 (31.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $42.739 billion[8] (144th)
• Per capita
Increase $1,579[8] (188th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $17.073 billion[8] (145th)
• Per capita
Increase $630[8] (185th)
Gini (2021)Positive decrease 32.9[9]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.394[10]
low (189th)
CurrencyWest African CFA franc (XOF)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
Drives onright[11]
Calling code+227
ISO 3166 codeNE
Internet TLD.ne

Niger,[a] officially the Republic of the Niger,[b] is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. It covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km2 (490,000 sq mi), making it the largest landlocked country in West Africa and the second largest landlocked nation in Africa behind Chad. Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara. Its predominantly Muslim population of about 25 million[14][15] lives mostly in clusters in the south and west of the country. The capital Niamey is located in Niger's southwest corner along the namesake Niger River.

Following the spread of Islam to the region, Niger was on the fringes of some states, including the Kanem–Bornu Empire and the Mali Empire before more significant parts of its territory became included in states such as the Sultanate of Agadez and the Songhai Empire. It was colonized by France during the Scramble for Africa as part of French West Africa, becoming a distinct colony in 1922. Since obtaining independence in 1960, Niger has experienced five coups d'état and four periods of military rule. Niger's seventh and most recent constitution was enacted in 2010, establishing a multiparty, unitary semi-presidential system. Following the most recent coup in 2023, the country is once again under a military junta.

Its society reflects a diversity drawn from the independent histories of some ethnic groups and regions and their period living in a single state. The Hausa are the country's largest ethnic group, making up more than half the population. French is the country's official language, although it is spoken mainly as a second language and by a minority of the population; ten indigenous languages have the status of national language, of which Hausa is the most spoken one.

According to the UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report of 2023, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.[16] Some non-desert portions of the country undergo periodic drought and desertification. The economy is concentrated around subsistence agriculture, with some export agriculture in the less arid south, and the export of raw materials, including uranium ore. It faces challenges to development due to its landlocked position, desert terrain, low literacy rate, jihadist insurgencies, and the world's highest fertility rates due to birth control not being used and the resulting rapid population growth.[17]

  1. ^ République du Niger, "Loi n° 2001-037 du 31 décembre 2001 fixant les modalités de promotion et de développement des langues nationales." L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde Archived 19 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 21 September 2016)
  2. ^ "Africa: Niger – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Nigerien – definition of Nigerien in English from the Oxford Dictionaries". Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup". Al Jazeera. 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  6. ^ Sidonie Aurore Bonny (3 August 2023). "Niger junta appoints civilians to Cabinet, member of military as vice president". Anadolu Agency. Douala, Cameroon. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023. Gen. Salifou Modi, Bazoum's former army chief of staff and the ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, is now vice president of the junta.
  7. ^ "Niger". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Niger)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  9. ^ World Bank GINI index Archived 9 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 21 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". The World Factbook. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  11. ^ Which side of the road do they drive on? Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brian Lucas. August 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  12. ^ How Do You Pronounce "Niger"? Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine from Slate.com, retrieved 4 March 2012
  13. ^ "Niger." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company 22 February 2013 thefreedictionary.com/Niger Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  15. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  16. ^ Nations, United (11 July 2023). 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) (Report). Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Population Explosion". The Economist. 16 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.


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