Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa located along the border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. Its geographic coordinates are a longitude of 16°N and a latitude off 8°E. Its area is 1.267 million square kilometers, of which 1,266,700kmē is land and 300kmē water. This makes Niger slightly less than twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas.
Niger borders seven countries on all sides and has a total of 5,697km of borders. The longest border is Chad to the east, at 1,175km. This is followed by Nigeria to the south (1,497km), Algeria to the north-northwest (956km), and Mali at 821 km. Niger also has small borders in its far southwest frontier (Burkina Faso at 628km and Benin at 266km) and to the north-northeast (Libya at 354km).
Niger's climate is mainly hot and dry, with much desert area. In the extreme south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Congo River Basin. The terrain is predominantly desert plains and sand dunes, with flat to rolling plains in south and hills in the north.
The lowest point is the Niger River, with an elevation of 200m. The highest point is Mont Greboun at 1,944m.
Natural resources:
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
7%
forests and woodland:
2%
other:
88% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
660 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
recurring droughts
Environment - current issues:
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked
- See also : Niger
