Agadez

CAPITAL CITY OF Niger: Niamey
LANGUAGE OF Niger: French
CURRENCY OF Niger: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF, XAF)
COMMENTS ABOUT Niger:
Niger, officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River.
Cities : Niamey (capital), Agadez, Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabery, Zinder
Best Places : W National Park (Tapoa), Magia Valley, Balleyara Market, Rio Bravo / Kanazi, Ayorou, Boubon, Namaro
Eat : fried chicken, fried guinea fowl, Egg sandwiches, poulet du miliardaire, Arobanda, Niamey
Time Zone : UTC+1
Electricity : 220V/50Hz (European plug)
Calling Code : +227
Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule by December 1999. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa.
CLIMATE OF Niger: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
RELIGION OF Niger: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian
POPULATION OF Niger: 11,360,538 (July 2004 est.)>>
HISTORY OF Niger: Not until 1993, 35 years after independence from France, did Niger hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule by December 1999.
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Niger: Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which was suspended following the April 1999 coup d'etat - for operating expenses and public investment. In 2000-01, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $105 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation. The IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction and growth facility for Niger in 2000 and announced $115 million in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Further disbursements of aid occurred in 2002. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources.