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
People Niger
Population:
12,525,094 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,994,022/female 2,882,273)
15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,262,114/female 3,083,522)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 150,982/female 152,181) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.5 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.92% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
50.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)