Niger, which attained independence from France in 1960 was under military regime till 1991. On public demand Gen. Ali Saibou held multiparty elections in 1993 and soon democracy came into effect in 1993. However, political unrest was caused by Col. Ibrahim Bare who staged a coup in 1996, but he later died in a counter insurgency operations by officers of the military establishment in 1999. This was followed by fresh elections for a democratic rule, and Mamadou Tandja assumed power in December 1999. Tandja, who won the elections in 2004 and in 2009, wanted to bring about a constitutional amendment to extend his tenure as president. However, in February 2010, he was removed from the post of the president in a coup engineered by the military and the constitution was annulled. Soon after, in 2011, elections were held and Mahamadou Issoufou got elected as the president and was sworn in April 2011. Niger’s problem with rebellious groups continued during 2007 and 2008. Rebellion was controlled. However, its security problems with its neighbors such as Libya, Nigeria and Mali have been a cause for concern
Geography
Niger, with a land area of 1.267 million km2, is a land locked country which is bounded with a land boundary of 5,834 km by seven countries: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali km.
Regions
is divided into 7 Regions ''. Each department's capital is the same as its name.
The 63 Departments are broken down into Communes. As of 2006 there were 265 communes, including communes urbaines, communes rurales centred in cities of under 10,000 and/or sparsely populated areas, and a variety of traditional bodies amongst semi-nomadic populations.
Cities
Roadways
Physical geography
Agricultural geography
Some of the land in Niger is used as arable land and as pasture. There are some forests and woodland. The table below describes land use in Niger, as of 2011.
Use
Percentage of Area
Arable land
11.79
Permanent crops
0.05
Other
88.16
Climate
Niger's climate is largely hot and dry, with most of the country in a desert region. The terrain is predominantly desert plains and sand dunes. There are also large plains in the south and hills in the north. In the extreme south, there is a tropical climate near the edges of the Niger River Basin. Lake Chad at the southeast corner of the country is shared between Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Recurring droughts are a serious challenge for Niger. The 2012 Sahel drought, along with failed crops, insect plagues, high food prices and conflicts is currently affecting Niger causing a hunger crisis. Many families in Niger, still recovering from the 2010 Sahel famine, are being affected by the 2012 Sahel drought. The 2005–06 Niger food crisis created a severe, but localized food security crisis in the regions of northern Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéri, and Zinder of Niger from 2005 to 2006. It was caused by an early end to the 2004 rains, desert locust damage to some pasture lands, high food prices, and chronic poverty.
Extreme points
Northernmost point: Tripoint with Algeria and Libya, Agadez Region: 23°31'N.
Surrounded by seven other countries, Niger has a total of 5,834 km of borders. The longest border is with Nigeria to the south, at 1,608 km. This is followed by Chad to the east, Algeria to the north-northwest, and Mali to the west. Niger also has short borders in its far southwest frontier and to the north-northeast.
