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Geography of Niger

Location:Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates:16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly less than twice the size of Texas
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, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Land use:arable land: 11.43%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 88.56% (2005)
Irrigated land:730 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:recurring droughts
Environment - current issues:overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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

Niger Quickstats

  • Population: 12,894,865 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 1.267 million sq km
  • Density: 11 /km² (206th)
  • GDP (total): $910.951 million (132nd)
  • GDP (per capita): $872 (171st)
  • Literacy: 28.7%

Languages of Niger

Useful to know

  • Currency: CFA franc (XOF)
  • Dial code: +227

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Niger Internet

  • Usage: 29,000
  • Penetration: 0.2 %
  • Top Domain: .ng

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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