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 runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection into Central American Microwave System; 60,000 telephones; stations—45 AM, no FM, 7 TV, 3 shortwave; satellite earth stations 1 Intersputnik and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Branches: Sandinista Popular Army, Sandinista Navy, Sandinista Air Force/Air Defense, Sandinista People's Militia

Military manpower: males 15-49, 747,144; 459,333 fit for military service; 44,213 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: NA  Niger



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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; exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted; 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: 3% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 88% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion

Note: landlocked

People

Population: 7,969,309 (July 1990), growth rate 3.6% (1990)

Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 17 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 131 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 53 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 7.4 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Nigerien(s) ; adjective—Nigerien

Ethnic divisions: 56% Hausa; 22% Djerma; 8.5% Fula; 8% Tuareg; 4.3% Beri Beri (Kanouri); 1.2% Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche; about 4,000 French expatriates

Religion: 80% Muslim, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Language: French (official); Hausa, Djerma

Literacy: 13.9%

Labor force: 2,500,000 wage earners (1982); 90% agriculture, 6% industry and commerce, 4% government; 51% of population of working age (1985)

Organized labor: negligible

Government

Long-form name: Republic of Niger

Type: republic; presidential system in which military officers hold key offices

Capital: Niamey

Administrative divisions: 7 departments (départements, singular—département); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder

Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France)

Constitution: adopted NA December 1989 after 15 years of military rule

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holidays: Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: National Development Council

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);

Head of Government—Prime Minister ALIOU MAHAMIDA (since 2 March 1990)

Political parties and leaders: only party National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD), leader NA

Suffrage: universal adult at age 18

Elections: President—last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1996); results—President Ali Saibou was reelected without opposition;

National Development Council—last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 229