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World > Africa > Niger
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Niger |
Introduction:
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Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa.
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| Official name: |
Republic of Niger |
| Capital: |
name: Niamey
geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
republic |
| Population: |
12,894,865 (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
French (official), Hausa, Djerma |
| Official Currency: |
CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
Current CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Historical CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Chart CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates |
| Currency code: |
XOF |
| Area: |
total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km |
| Climate: |
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
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Map of Niger
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