A few facts about Niger

Background

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development.

Nearly half of the government's income comes from foreign donations. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the region.

Niger is a republic with a young, democratic multi-party political system. Its legal system is based on French civil and customary law.

French is the official language (the country became independent from France in 1960). Other languages include Hausa and Djerma.

Geography

Niger is one of the hottest countries in the world - four-fifths is desert, one-fifth is savannah.

Niger is completely landlocked. It is surrounded by seven countries: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali and Nigeria.

Niger has some of the world’ s largest uranium deposits.

People

There are eight ethnic groups and about 1,200 French expatriates.

80% of the population is Muslim.

Niger has a population of 12.5 million, yet…

Only 70,000 people are salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector.
Only 17.6% of the population are literate.
The average life expectancy in Niger is just 43 years. In the USA it’s 78 years.

Niger has the highest birth rate in the world (50.73 / 1000). Compare this to Holland which is just 10.9.

The infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world: Niger is sixth at 118.25 / 1000, Holland is 4.96 / 1000. Angola is top at 185.36 / 1000

Niger also has one of the highest death rates in the world (10th). Swaziland comes top at 29.74/1000 per year, Niger 20.91 and Holland 8.68.

Infrastructure

There is just 14,565 km of roadways in the country. That’s 1.2% of the land. And only 3,641 km of that is paved.

Only 24,000 people have a main telephone line, and 300,000 people have mobiles (Holland has 15.8 million!). There are also 24,000 Internet users.

Source: CIA World Factbook

Niger not Nigeria

When people ask me where I come from, I say, 'Niger,' and they say, 'Oh, Nigeria!'

I sigh and patiently reply, 'No, not Nigeria ... Niger.'

I have asked myself so many times, 'Why has nobody heard about Niger?' Is it because they did not study geography at school? Is it because we have never had a civil war there? Or maybe it's because we are simply not very useful to the West?

Whatever the reason, it saddens me to think that Niger - the poorest country in the world - remains unknown to most people around the world.