:Nicaragua Defense Forces
Branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 878,066; 541,090 fit for military service; 42,997 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $70 million, 3.8% of GDP (1991 budget)
:Niger Geography
Total area:
1,267,000 km2
Land area:
1,266,700 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
5,697 km total; Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 628 km, Chad 1,175 km,
Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; demarcation of
international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border
incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon,
Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary
demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
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
Natural resources:
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and
woodland 2%; other 88%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal
agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
Note:
landlocked
:Niger People
Population:
8,052,945 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
58 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
23 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
115 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
42 years male, 45 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Nigerien(s); adjective - Nigerien
Ethnic divisions:
Hausa 56%; Djerma 22%; Fula 8.5%; Tuareg 8%; Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%; Arab,
Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%; about 4,000 French expatriates
Religions:
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
Languages:
French (official); Hausa, Djerma
Literacy:
28% (male 40%, female 17%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,500,000 wage earners (1982); agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%,
government 4%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
negligible
:Niger Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Niger
Type:
as of November 1991, transition government appointed by national reform
conference; scheduled to turn over power to democratically elected
government in January 1993
Capital:
Niamey
Administrative divisions:
7 departments (departements, singular - departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso,
Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder
Independence:
3 August 1960 (from France)
Constitution:
December 1989 constitution revised November 1991 by National Democratic
Reform Conference
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Executive branch:
president (ceremonial), prime minister (interim), Cabinet
Legislative branch:
National Assembly
Judicial branch:
State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14 November 1987); ceremonial post
since national conference (1991)
Head of Government:
Interim Prime Minister Amadou CHEIFFOU (since November 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD-NASSARA), Tanda MAMADOU;
Niger Progressive Party - African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA), Harou KOUKA;
Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress (UDFP-SAWABA), Djibo
BAKARY; Niger Democratic Union (UDN-SAWABA), Mamoudou PASCAL; Union of
Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives (UPDP), Andre SALIFOU; Niger Social
Democrat Party (PSDN-ALHERI), Mallam Adji WAZIRI; Niger Party for Democracy
and Socialism (PNDS-TARAYA), Issoufou MAHAMADOU; Democratic and Social
Convention (CDS-RAHAMA), Mahamane OUSMANE; Union for Democracy and Progress
(UDP), Bello TCHIOUSSO; Union for Democracy and Social Progress
(UDPS-AMANA), Akoli DAOUEL; Masses Union for Democratic Action (UMAD-AIKI),
Belko GARBA; Worker's Liberation Party (PLT), Idi Ango OUMAROU; Convention
for Social Rehabilitation (CRS), Abdoul Karim SEYNI; Popular Movement for
Democracy in Niger (MPDN), Abdou SANDA; Popular Front for National
Liberation (FPLN), Diallo SABO; Republican Party for Freedom and Progress in
Niger (PRLPN), Alka ALMOU; other parties forming
Suffrage:
universal adult at age 18
Elections:
President:
President Ali SAIBOU has been in office since December 1989, but the
presidency is now a largely ceremonial position
:Niger Government
National Assembly:
last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held NA); results - MNSD was the only
party; seats - (150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected); note - Niger held
a national conference from July to November 1991 to decide upon a
transitional government and an agenda for multiparty elections
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Chancery at 2204 R Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4224 through 4227
US:
Ambassador Jennifer C. WARD; Embassy at Avenue des Ambassades, Niamey
(mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey); telephone [227] 72-26-61 through
64
Flag:
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