Location Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates 16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references Africa

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

Land use
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 660 sq km (1998 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; one of the hottest countries in the world: northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture

NOTE: The information regarding Niger on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Niger Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Niger Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.