REPUBLIC OF NIGER Official name: Republique de Niger (Republic of Niger) Location: West Africa International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The African Union, The Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, The Organisation of Islamic Conference, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Nigeria Coastline: None

Land area: 1,267,000 Km2
Population: 10,600,000
Ethnicity: Almost the entire population is of Sudanic and Berber stock. The largest groups are the Hausa (56%), Djerma (22%), Fula (8.5%) and Tuareg (8%).
Languages: French is the official language. The majority of the population speak Hausa and related African languages.
Religion: 80% of the population are Sunni Moslems, and most of the rest follow indigenous beliefs.
Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. Niger is divided into seven departments and one capital city district.
Capital: Niamey
Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Niger came into effect in January 1993, but was substantially amended by referendum in 1999.
Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term.
Head of government: The President, who appoints all ministers.
Legislature: Niger has a unicameral legislature. The National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) has 83 members elected for five-year terms, 75 elected from multi-member constituencies and eight elected to represent national minorities.
Electoral authority: The National Independent Election Commission administers national elections.
Freedom House rating: Political Rights 4, Civil Liberties 4

Political history

Until the 19th century the territory which is now Niger was ruled by various Hausa and Fulani states in northern Nigeria. It was penetrated by the French in the 1880s and formally annexed in 1900. Niger became a separate colony in 1922. Along with the rest of French West Africa, it became self- governing within the French union in 1958 and independent in 1960.

The nationalist leader Hamani Diori became President, and ran a fairly mild version of the African one-party state system. The country was devastated by drought in the early 1970s, and this led directly to the 1974 coup which deposed Diori and brought a military regime to power.

Niger was then ruled by Seyni Kountché until his death in 1987. Under his successor, Ali Saibou, a new constitution was adopted in 1992, but President Mahame Ousmane was deposed in a second military coup in 1996. The military ruler Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara was assassinated in 1999. This allowed a return to democratic government under a new Constitution.

The dominant political party is President Tandja's National Movement for the Development Society. The main opposition parties are the Democratic and Social Convention and the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism.

Amnesty International's 2002 Report on Niger does not identify majot human rights problems in Niger, although it said that students and journalists who criticised the government were subject to some official harassment.