An Introduction to Niger
The society of the landlocked Republic of Niger is diverse - its several ethnic groups and regions have long independent histories and the current territory of Niger has traditionally been on the fringes of several large states. Since independence from France on 3rd August 1960, Nigeriens have lived under five constitutions and three periods of military rule. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Africa
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GOVERNMENT: republic
AREA: 1.267 million sq km
POPULATION: 16,468,886 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: French
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in Niger
The honour of being Niger's only Olympic Medallist goes to Isaake Daborg, who won his bronze in the light welterweight boxing division at the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich. It was third time lucky for Daborg - he'd also competed in the 1964 (Tokyo) and 1968 (Mexico City) games.
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The society of the landlocked Republic of Niger is diverse - its several ethnic groups and regions have long independent histories and the current territory of Niger has traditionally been on the fringes of several large states. Since independence from France on 3rd August 1960, Nigeriens have lived under five constitutions and three periods of military rule.
Niger has one of the lowest ranks of the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI), currently 167th of 169 countries. The non-desert portions of the country are threatened by periodic drought and desertification and the economy is concentrated around subsistence and some export agriculture clustered in the more fertile south, and the export of raw materials - especially uranium ore.
GDP: $11.05 billion (2010 est.) - $700 per capita (2010 est.)
Religions Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
Currency: West African Franc (XOF) - 1 GBP = 750 XOF
Telephone Code: +227
The economy of Niger centres on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits, 'though a drop and only partial recovery in demand for the latter has added to drought, desertification and a 2.9% population growth rate to leave that economy struggling. A debt reduction deal with the IMF in 2000 freed up money for basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other poverty reduction programs; and five years later it was announced that the country's c.$US 86 million debts had been cancelled. Nearly half of the government's budget comes from foreign donors, but the exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources may help future growth.
Exports in 2010 were valued at $428m and were made up of uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas and onions. France accounted for 52.9% of business, Nigeria 22.5% and the USA 18.3%. Imports of $800m comprised food, machinery, vehicles, petroleum and cereals, mostly from China and France.
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