Niger Geography Profile 2008

Location

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries

total: 5,697 km
border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

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

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Land use

arable land: 11.43%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 88.56% (2005)

Irrigated land

730 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

33.7 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%)
per capita: 156 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note

landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture