240 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
240 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
NIGER
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,267,000 km2; land area: 1,266,700 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
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Land boundaries: 5,697 km total; Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km,
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Burkina 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497
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km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Disputes: Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger;
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demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which
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has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting
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ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Burkina and Mali are
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proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
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Climate: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
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Terrain: predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to
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rolling plains in south; hills in north
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Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
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Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
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7%; forest and woodland 2%; other 88%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: recurrent drought and desertification severely
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affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
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Note: landlocked
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PEOPLE
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Population: 8,154,145 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 129 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Nigerien(s) adjective--Nigerien
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Ethnic divisions: Hausa 56%; Djerma 22%; Fula 8.5%; Tuareg 8%; Beri
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Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%; Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%; about 4,000
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French expatriates
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Religion: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
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Language: French (official); Hausa, Djerma
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Literacy: 28% (male 40%, female 17%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 2,500,000 wage earners (1982); agriculture 90%,
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industry and commerce 6%, government 4%; 51% of population of working age
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(1985)
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Organized labor: negligible
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Niger
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Type: republic; presidential system in which military officers
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hold key offices
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Capital: Niamey
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Administrative divisions: 7 departments (departements,
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singular--departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua,
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Zinder
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Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France)
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Constitution: adopted NA December 1989 after 15 years of
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military rule
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Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
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has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holidays: Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
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(cabinet)
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Legislative branch: National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
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Judicial branch: State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal
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(Cour d'Apel)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14
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November 1987);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Aliou MAHAMIDOU (since 2 March
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1990)
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Political parties and leaders: National Movement for the
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Development Society (MNSD), leader NA; other political parties now
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forming
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Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1996);
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results--President Ali SAIBOU was reelected without opposition;
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National Assembly--last held 10 December 1989 (next to be
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held NA); results--MNSD was the only party;
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seats--(150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected);
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note--Niger is to hold a national conference to decide upon a
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transitional government and an agenda for multiparty elections
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Communists: no Communist party; some sympathizers in outlawed
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Sawaba party
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Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO,
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FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
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INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN,
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UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE;
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Chancery at 2204 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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483-4224 through 4227;
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US--Ambassador Carl C. CUNDIFF; Embassy at Avenue des
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Ambassades, Niamey (mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey); telephone
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227 72-26-61 through 64
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and
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green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the
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white band; similar to the flag of India which has a blue, spoked wheel
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centered in the white band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and
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stock rearing, activities which generate almost half the national
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income. The economy also depends heavily on exploitation of large uranium
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deposits. Uranium production grew rapidly in the mid-1970s, but tapered
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off in the early 1980s, when world prices declined. France is a major
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customer, while Germany, Japan, and Spain also make regular purchases.
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The depressed demand for uranium has contributed to an overall
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sluggishness in the economy, a severe trade imbalance, and a mounting
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external debt.
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GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $270; real growth rate - 3.3% (1989
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 2.8% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $220 million; expenditures $446 million, including
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capital expenditures of $190 million (FY89 est.)
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Exports: $308 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--uranium 75%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions;
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partners--France 65%, Nigeria 11%, Ivory Coast, Italy
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Imports: $386 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products, primary materials, machinery,
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vehicles and parts, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical
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products, cereals, foodstuffs;
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partners--France 32%, Ivory Coast 11%, Germany 5%, Italy 4%,
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Nigeria 4%
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External debt: $1.8 billion (December 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.); accounts
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for 18% of GDP
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Electricity: 102,000 kW capacity; 225 million kWh produced,
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30 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals,
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slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium
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production began in 1971
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Agriculture: accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor
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force; cash crops--cowpeas, cotton, peanuts; food crops--millet, sorghum,
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cassava, rice; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats; self-sufficient in food
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except in drought years
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $3.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $61 million
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Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
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(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF)
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per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85
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(1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel
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and laterite, 3,470 km earthen, 23,000 km tracks
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Inland waterways: Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to
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Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March
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Civil air: no major transport aircraft
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Airports: 31 total, 29 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: small system of wire, radiocommunications, and
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radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area; 11,900 telephones;
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stations--15 AM, 5 FM, 16 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 4 domestic
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, paramilitary
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Republican Guard, paramilitary Presidential Guard, paramilitary National
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Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,713,566; 923,634 fit for
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military service; 90,801 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $20.6 million, 0.9% of GDP (1988)
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