第 196 页

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 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

Judicial branch:

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

Political parties and leaders:

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'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; 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, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, 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] 20-73-31-69

FAX: [227] 20-73-55-60

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; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band

Economy Niger

Economy - overview:

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking near last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.902 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.174 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 39%

industry: 17%

services: 44% (2001)

Labor force:

70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (1995)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90%

industry: 6%

services: 4% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

63% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.8%

highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.5 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.1% (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources)

expenditures: $320 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, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Industrial production growth rate:

5.1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:

234.1 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

437.7 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

220 million kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,450 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:

5,412 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$321 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$428 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners:

France 34.8%, US 26.6%, Nigeria 18.3%, Russia 11.3% (2006)

Imports:

$800 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners:

US 14%, France 12.1%, China 7.8%, Nigeria 7.7%, French Polynesia 7.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.9% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$515.4 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$2.1 billion (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

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 - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Niger

Telephones - main lines in use:

24,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

323,900 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is less than 3 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned

international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2007)

Televisions:

125,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ne

Internet hosts:

200 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

40,000 (2006)

Transportation Niger

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 19

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 18,423 km

paved: 3,797 km

unpaved: 14,626 km (2005)

Waterways:

300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)

Military Niger

Military branches:

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,871,868

females age 16-49: 2,696,966 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,665,108

females age 16-49: 1,548,965 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

males age 16-49: 150,728

females age 16-49: 143,379 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.3% (2006)

Transnational Issues Niger

Disputes - international:

Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Niger is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; caste-based slavery practices, rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas of the country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live under conditions of traditional slavery; children are trafficked within Niger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor in agriculture and stone quarries; women and children from neighboring states are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and as mechanics and welders

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat and eliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government's overall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; while efforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, the government failed to provide services to or rescue adult victims subjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts to educate the public about traditional slavery practices in general (2008)

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Nigeria

Introduction Nigeria

Background:

British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.

Geography Nigeria

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 923,768 sq km

land: 910,768 sq km

water: 13,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 4,047 km

border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Coastline:

853 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain:

southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 33.02%

permanent crops: 3.14%

other: 63.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,820 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

286.2 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic / industrial / agricultural):

total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%)

per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues:

soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

People Nigeria

Population:

138,283,240

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)