Sanford+and+Denton+NIGER

__ NIGER __



The Nigerian flag is relatively simple, having only three colors and four items/shapes of represention on it. This, however, does not in any way degrade the meaning, importance, and symbolism. The flag has horizontal bands of orange/tan/light brown, white, and green. The orange band represents the Sahara Desert; the white band, savanna; and the green band, grasslands. Centered in the white band is an orange disk, which represents the sun. obviously, the terrain of Niger is very important to both its country and its people.

__ Geographical Information __ Physical Map



 ﻿ ﻿ Niger is 48,919 square miles ( in total area), which seems like a small amount compared to the 3.79 million square miles of the United States. Do not be fooled by this; the area of a country does not nessasarily mean it is better. Quite the opposite. After all, how does vast amounts of useless land look compared to one of the hottest countries of the world (105 degress farenheit year round)? __Population Density (per sq. mile) __ 32.4 People for Niger compared to 81.7 for the U.S. This information shows that as well as having a considerably larger land mass, the U.S. population density is more than twice that of Niger. __GDP __ GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product per capita. This number is basically the amount of money the average person makes anually (in the country). This represents the wealth of both the people and the country. Please note that the monetary unit is in U.S. dollars. The GDP for Niger is $627, compared to the U.S. $45,592. The difference in GDP is such a massive amount, that anyone could easily see that the U.S. is a much wealthier country, the GDP of the U.S. being more than seventy times that of Nigers'. __Birth and Life Information __ The birth rate of Niger is births 51.08 per thousand, compared to the U.S. birth rate of 13.83. Though one would think that would increase the population, there is the sad fact of infant mortality. 11.7 per thousand for Niger, 0.6 per thousand for the U.S. While Niger has over three times the amount of births (per thousand), it also has an infant mortality rate twenty times that of the U.S. These statistics are shocking indeed. The U.S. 77 for males and 81 for females, while over in Niger it is 50 for males and 52 for females. Over 20 more years of life in the States than Niger. Obviously, the living conditions are far worse in Niger than the United States, possibly due to the lack of doctors (2 per 100,000). __Languages __ In Niger, there are many different ethnicitys and therefore many languages, but the dominant ones, as well as the information surrounding them, will be named here; French is the official language, but only about 10 percent of Nigeriens speak it. Hausa is the primary language for communication between ethnic groups in the east. In the west, Djerma and French serve this purpose. Ten languages have official recognition in Niger: Arabic, Boudouma, Djerma, Fulfulde, Gourmantchema, Hausa, Kanouri, Tamachek, Tasawak, and Toubou. Many people are multilingual due to the vast amount and variety of languages. __Monetary Unit __ The monetary unit of Niger is the franc, which is equal to about 20 cents in U.S. dollars. __Government __ Niger's government is a semi-presidential republic, where the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. The officials are chosen through a representive republic process consisting of national and local elections. It is in the context of a competing multi-party system where executive power is controlled and carried out by the government, while legislative power is executed by the government and the Federal Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature: its Constitutional Court has jurisdiction over constitutional and electoral matters. Nigers government is very similar to the United States, but different in the way of choosing officials and the different offices that the U.S. has. Niger is only semi-presidential, meaning there are two different main leaders; the president and the prime minister. In a way, their government is like a mix of the U.S. and the UK governments, and this is mainly because France has a huge influence on this country, as it "colonized" it. Until the 1990's however, Niger was under military rule until a civil war changed their previous system of government. Niger's president is head of state. The president and members of the 113-seat National Assembly are elected to five-year terms. Appointed by the president, the prime minister (currently Mahamadou Danda) is head of government. The voting age is 18. Men and women stand in separate lines; a husband may cast his wife's vote if she wishes. Most large cities, including Zinder, Tahoua, and Agadez, have sultans who hold office based on lineage. Villages often have a chief who is chosen by birth and ability. The central government ultimately makes most decisions, but on the local level, the word of a sultan or chief carries great weight. Disputes are often resolved by going to a respected elder or chief. Villages have leaders for neighborhoods (in large villages), women, young men, the fields, and so on. __Religions __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There are an incredibly large amount of religions in Niger, but the predominant one is Islam, followed up closely by Christianity. Islam is the religion of the mass in the country of Niger. Christianity is followed by the elite class of the society. Most of the educated and higher class people follow Christianity in Niger. However there is also the presence of the traditional religions of the country that is followed by a small part of the population. Niger maintains a liberal policy of religious tolerance, allowing its inhabitants to freely follow the religion of their choice. To put it statistically, Islam in Niger is followed by about eighty six percent of the population. Thirteen percent of the total population of Niger follow the traditional Animist religion. Christianity is followed by 0.5 percent of the total population in Niger. 0.17 percent of the people in the country of Niger are Roman Catholics and 0.08 percent of the people in the country of Niger are Protestants. 0.23 percent of the remaining population practice the other pagan and traditional religions in the country of Niger. __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Literacy Rate __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">While 99% of the U.S. is literate, only 44% of Niger is. While this is a large amount for many of the countries in Africa, this is incredibly small and tiny compared to that of the U.S and other "cultured" countries. These statistics are even more surprising considering the only 17% of Nigers population lives in a rural area, meaning that education must be difficult to receive.The school system is based on the French model. Students must pass difficult exams to advance from primary school to junior high and then high school, and they often must travel to larger villages to attend secondary schools. French is the language of instruction, which makes learning difficult for primary school children who have never spoken it before. Some alternative schools use local languages for instruction. Enrollment in primary school is mandatory, but only about 25% of students actually go, suggesting that living may be too hard to afford to have children not //work. In rural areas, more boys than girls attend school. Teachers may strike for months when they are not paid. For many families,// Qur'anic// schools are a more vital part of education. There is only one university in the entire country. __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Economic Summary __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Niger is one of the world's poorest countries. Uranium accounts for 60 percent of all exports. Other industries, though minor, include cement, brick, textiles, chemical production, and slaughterhouses. About 90 percent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture and herding. Primary crops are millet, cowpeas, peanuts, sorghum, cassava, and rice. Animals raised include cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, and poultry. Most wage earners work for the government, but they might go months without a paycheck because the government has so little money. The private sector is growing slowly as state enterprises are privatized. Young village men go to work for wages in neighboring countries and return to Niger during the rainy season. Niger receives international aid and imports most consumer items. This countries exports vary, but they are predominantly to countries and regions in the Americas and Europe. the electricity consumption per hour is very low, only 40 (kilowatts per hour capita). This shows both the lack of power and lack of money to afford that power. There are also zero carbon emissions. Comparing these statistics to the United Staes are frightening, as the electricity consumption is 1424 (kilowatts per capita), and the carbon emmisions are 21 (metric tons per capita). Only 0.2% of the population uses the internet, and as little as 21% of the populations subscribes to cell phones. __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">History __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Evidence shows of nomads being in Niger more than 5,000 years ago, but little is known about them. In the 15th century a sultanate was established by Tuaregs, who had arrived in the 11th century. Niger seved as a important trading post/crossroad. Djermas settled in the 1700's, becoming farmers. Despite resistance by local groups (particularly the Tuaregs) to French military incursions after 1890, Niger became a French colony in 1922. The French moved the capital from Zinder to Niamey in 1926. In the late 1950s, a fierce political struggle ensued over independence from France, which was finally granted in 1960. President Hamani Diori governed until he was ousted by a coup in 1974, when General Seyni Kountche assumed power. Kountche's regime was known for its stability and its success in reducing corruption. When Kountche's died in 1987, Niger entered a lengthy period of political uncertainty under several successive national leaders. Kountche's Supreme Military Council first governed under General Ali Saibou. His rule proved unpopular and destabilizing, and a High Council of the Republic was convened by a national conference in 1991 to govern until 1993 elections. The newly elected government under President Mahamane Ousmane faced a deteriorating economy, ethnic rebellions, and political rivalries. Elections in 1995 forced Ousmane to appoint his rival, Hama Amadou, as prime minister. Their rivalry paralyzed the government, leading to strikes and unrest. The military deposed both men and sponsored elections in 1996. Coup leader General Ibrahim Bare Mainassara was elected president by rigging the vote. His regime was known for corruption, repression, and incompetence.Protests, strikes, and even mutinies by unpaid soldiers plagued Bare. When he was assassinated by his own presidential guard in April 1999, no one protested. Major Daouda Malam Wanka, head of the presidential guard, became president, lifted a ban on political activity, and announced elections for November 1999. In that vote, Mamadou Tandja was elected president. He became the first president to complete a full term in office since democratic elections were introduced in 1993. Tandja won elections in December 2004 for a second term. In 2009, he suspended the constitution and introduced a new one designed to expand his powers, give him a three-year term extension, and end presidential term limits. A military coup in February 2010 removed Tandja from power. Obviously, Niger has dealy with a great number of corrupt leaders and, rebellions, and revolts. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Not-So-Fun-Facts __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Niger has went through over three military coups <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">You cannot look someone of higher social status in the eye <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">To indicate approval or agreement, Nigeriens make a clicking sound deep in the throat or they may rapidly suck in air. For many Nigeriens, sharing three rounds of tea is an essential part of a social visit.

On Independence Day (3 Aug.), people often plant trees to combat increasing desertification Link top Wordle <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[] click there

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">﻿ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">References:  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Niger" Culture Grams  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">CIA World Factbook  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Flickrr CC  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Niger Government" Wikipedia