Niger

Niger

Niger / is a landlocked country located in West Africa and named Niger after the Niger River that cuts through its territory. It is bordered by Nigeria and Benin, to the west by Burkina Faso and Mali, and to the north by Algeria and Libya, while Chad is bordered to the east

Niger is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. The Sahara covers about 80% of the country's total area, while the rest of the parts are threatened by other climate problems such as drought and desertification. The country's economy depends almost entirely on the export of some agricultural products, whose production is concentrated in the fertile southern part of the country, in addition to the export of some raw materials, the most important of which is uranium ore. Despite this, Niger remains unable to advance itself economically and socially due to its position as a landlocked country, in addition to its lack of appropriate infrastructure and the deterioration of the health sector in the country, as well as the decline in the level of education and environmental conditions

Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa; It is located in the geographical area separating the Sahara from the southern region, which is called Black Africa. It lies in the latitude 16 ° N and longitude 8 ° E. Niger has an area of ​​1,267,000 sq km (489,191 sq mi) and water bodies cover an area of ​​300 sq km (116 sq mi) of the total area of ​​the country. Niger is ranked 22nd globally in terms of area less than twice the size of France

Niger borders seven countries from all sides and its border strip length is 5,697 km in total (3,540 miles) and its border with Nigeria in the south is the longest border with 1,497 km (930 mi), then its borders with Chad in the east are 1,175 km (730 mi), then Algeria In the northwest, 956 km (594 mi), Mali 821 km (510 mi), separated by a short strip from Burkina Faso in the southwest. It is 628 km (390 mi) long, Benin is 266 km (165 mi) and finally its borders are in the northeast with Libya is 354 km (220 mi) long

The climate in Niger is dry, tropical, and very hot except for the southernmost part of the country, where the tropical climate borders the Niger River Basin. The desert and sand dunes cover most of Niger, with the exception of the southern part of the country which is covered by low to medium-sized savannah forests and the northern part of the country which is covered by hills

The Niger River is the lowest geographical point. Where it rises 200 meters above sea level (656 feet), while the summit of Mount Idocal Ngegress in the Iyar Massif mountain range is the highest geographical point in the country, rising 2,022 meters above sea level (6,634 feet)

Niger's economy is based on seasonal crops and livestock, in addition to Niger having one of the world's largest uranium reserves. However, environmental problems such as drought and desertification, as well as a steady population increase of 2.9%, and the lack of global uranium demand have led to a decline in the country's economic development wheel

The Niger also shares 11 other French-speaking Central and West African countries with the same currency, which is the Franc CFA, known as the CFA Franc. Niger also participates seven of the members of the Monetary Council of West African countries, currently known as the Economic Community of West African States, in one central bank, the Central Bank of West African States, based in Dakar, Senegal

In December 2000, Niger qualified for the International Monetary Fund's program to reduce the world's poorest debtors, and an agreement was signed to reduce poverty and increase growth rates. The debt reduction initiative has provided funds to spend on basic health services, basic education, fighting AIDS, limiting the spread of HIV / AIDS, infrastructure projects in remote areas and some other programs to reduce the spread of poverty in the country

In December 2005, the International Monetary Fund announced a 100% debt increase for Niger, which means the Fund waived $ 86 million of its dues with the Niger government, the same year in which nearly 2.5 million people from Niger faced harsh famine as a result of drought and swarm attacks Locusts on agricultural crops. Niger depends to provide 50% of its budget on the aid of donor countries

Niger is expected to achieve economic growth by increasing oil, gold and coal exploration, unlike other minerals. The return of uranium prices in the past five years to their previous levels also helped push the economic development wheel a little in the country

The agricultural economy of Niger is highly dependent on the internal market, seasonal agriculture and the export of raw materials such as food and livestock to neighboring countries. The agricultural sector and its livestock and poultry breeding affiliated with about 82% of the total population

Livestock and livestock production represent about 14% of the gross national product. Livestock breeding is based on the breeding of camels, goats, sheep and cows. About 29% of the population work in this sector, and 53% of the total population works in agriculture and crop production. The area of ​​arable land represents 15% of the total land area of ​​Niger

Millet, sorghum and cassava crops are cultivated depending on the monsoon, and rice is cultivated for local consumption in the west around the Niger River Valley by irrigation. Beans and onions are grown for export. Niger also produces limited quantities of garlic, pepper, potatoes and wheat. Scattered oases in the north of the country also produce dates, onions and some vegetables for export

Therefore, most farmers and agricultural workers are concentrated in the south-western and southwestern part of the country, where rainfall rates are between 300 and 600 mm annually. In addition to a small part in the far south of the country at the city of Jaya, where the rainfall ranges between 600 and 900 mm annually

While the cultivated lands in the north of the country south of the Mayif mountain range and Qawar oasis depend on the slight height of the rain level as a result of the influence of the mountains on climatic factors, while most of the north-eastern and northwestern regions depend on a limited amount of monsoon rains, which are barely sufficient for grazing and livestock. In these desolate areas are concentrated tribes of Tuareg, Tobu and Fula who migrate to the south during the dry season to sell and raise their livestock

The level of rain water varies from year to year; With the scarcity of rain, Niger is facing difficulty in providing the necessary quantities of food for its people, so it depends on the proceeds of selling agricultural crops and food aid to meet its needs. And like other countries in the African Sahel region, the rate of rain varies annually, especially in the twentieth century, where the most severe droughts were recorded in the sixties of the last century, which lasted until the eighties

The shepherds are the most affected by such waves, as they exposed them to the loss of whole herds more than once during that period. The rain levels continued to change, as in 2000, insufficient rains came, which affected agriculture and livestock, while in 2001 the rains came in abundance and fell all over the country