All About Niger

Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa that is named after the Niger River. Nigeria and Benin border it to the south, Mali and Burkina Faso to the west, Libya and Algeria to the north, and Chad to the east. Its total area is 1,270,000 sq. km and 80 percent of Niger is covered by the Sahara. Its population of more than 22,919,867 million people are mostly Muslim and live in the south and west. Niamey is the capital city.

Desertification and drought threaten the non-desert locations. Subsistence agriculture is a major part of the economy outside export areas in the fertile south and uranium ore. Poor education, poverty, the landlocked desert terrain, poor infrastructure, and environmental degradation handicap the country.

The country has diversity that comes from the histories of its ethnic groups. Niger has been on the edges of several large states. There have been five constitutions and three periods of military rule since independence. Most people live in rural areas and do not have access to education.