Niger

Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. Niger is a unitary state bordering Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers an area of ​​almost 1,270,000 km2 (490,000 sq. Miles), making it the second largest landlocked country in West Africa (after Chad). More than 80% of its territory is located in the Sahara Desert. The country has a predominantly Muslim population of about 22 million. live mainly in clusters in the extreme south and west of the country. The capital and largest city is Niamey, located in the southwestern corner of Niger.

Niger is a developing country that consistently ranks at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI); it was ranked 187th out of 188 countries in 2015 and 189th out of 189 countries in the 2018 and 2019 reports. Many non-desert parts of the country are threatened by recurrent droughts and desertification. The economy is centered around subsistence agriculture, with some export agriculture in the more fertile south and the export of raw materials, especially uranium ore. Niger faces major development challenges due to landlockedness, desert terrain, inefficient agriculture, high fertility rates without birth control and, as a result, overpopulation, poor education and poverty, lack of infrastructure, poor health care and deterioration of the environment.

Nigerian society reflects diversity, gleaned from the long independent history of several of its ethnic groups and regions and their relatively short period of residence in one state. Historically, the territory of modern Niger was located on the outskirts of several large states. Since independence, Nigerians have lived under five constitutions and three periods of military rule. After the military coup in 2010, Niger became a democratic multi-party state. The majority of the population lives in rural areas and has limited access to higher education.