Andorra (2001) | Niger (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Escaldes-Engordany, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria | 7 departments (departements, singular - departement), and 1 capital district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
15.29% (male 5,425; female 4,917) 15-64 years: 72.06% (male 25,654; female 23,078) 65 years and over: 12.65% (male 4,299; female 4,254) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
47.97% (male 2,528,484; female 2,439,051) 15-64 years: 49.75% (male 2,518,400; female 2,633,677) 65 years and over: 2.28% (male 123,589; female 111,955) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep | cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry |
Airports | none (2000 est.) | 27 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
468 sq km land: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
Background | Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra has achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes. | Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule in December 1999. |
Birth rate | 10.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 50.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$385 million expenditures: $342 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues:
$377 million, including $146 million from foreign sources expenditures: $377 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1999 est.) |
Capital | Andorra la Vella | Niamey |
Climate | temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers | desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991; approved by referendum 14 March 1993; came into force 4 May 1993 | the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Principality of Andorra conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra |
conventional long form:
Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger |
Currency | French franc (FRF); Spanish peseta (ESP); euro (EUR) | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
Death rate | 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 22.71 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $1.3 billion (1999 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: (3493) 280-2227; FAX: (3493) 205-7705 | chief of mission:
Ambassador Charles O. CECIL embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey telephone: [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64 FAX: [227] 73 31 67 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph DIATTA chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 |
Disputes - international | none | Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger; delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $341 million (1997)
note: the IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction and growth facility for Niger in 2000 and announced $115 million in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products. | Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which was suspended following the April 1999 coup d'etat - for operating expenses and public investment. In 2000, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $35 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 401 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | NA kWh | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh
note: most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower |
215 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 200 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Riu Runer 840 m highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m |
lowest point:
Niger River 200 m highest point: Mont Greboun 1,944 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal | 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:
Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 |
Ethnic groups | Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998) | Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996); Spanish pesetas per US dollar - 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996) | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro |
Executive branch | chief of state:
French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Frederic de SAINT-SERNIN (since NA); Spanish Coprince Episcopal Monseigneur Joan MARTI Alanis (since 31 January 1971), represented by Nemesi MARQUES OSTE (since NA) head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE Molne (since 21 December 1994) cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Marc FORNE Molne elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - 64% |
chief of state:
President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president note: President Ibrahim BARE was assassinated on 9 April 1999; subsequent elections were held under the nine-month provisional government of Major Daouda Mallam WANKE cabinet: 23-member cabinet appointed by President TANDJA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Mamadou TANDJA elected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 59.9%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 40.1% |
Exports | $58 million (f.o.b., 1998) | $385 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Exports - commodities | tobacco products, furniture | uranium ore 65%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions (1998 est.) |
Exports - partners | France 34%, Spain 58% (1998) | France 45%, Nigeria 27%, UK 11% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem | three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1996 est.) | purchasing power parity - $10 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
40% industry: 18% services: 42% (1998) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $18,000 (1996 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 3.5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 42 30 N, 1 30 E | 16 00 N, 8 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked | landlocked |
Highways | total:
269 km paved: 198 km unpaved: 71 km (1994 est.) |
total:
10,100 km paved: 798 km unpaved: 9,302 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
0.8% highest 10%: 35.4% (1995) |
Imports | $1.077 billion (c.i.f., 1998) | $317 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods, food, electricity | consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals |
Imports - partners | Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (1998) | France 22%, Cote d'Ivoire 15%, Nigeria 8%, US 3% (1999) |
Independence | 1278 (was formed under the joint suzerainty of France and Spain) | 3 August 1958 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, tobacco, banking | uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses |
Infant mortality rate | 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 123.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.62% (1998) | 2.8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | CCC, CE, ECE, ICAO, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer) | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 660 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional | State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | 30,787 salaried employees (1998) | 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services 78% (1998) | agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% |
Land boundaries | total:
120.3 km border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km |
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 |
Land use | arable land:
4% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 45% forests and woodland: 35% other: 16% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 2% other: 88% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Catalan (official), French, Castilian | French (official), Hausa, Djerma |
Legal system | based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA February 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - UL 57%, AND 21%, IDN 7%, ND 7%, other 8%; seats by party - UL 16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO 2 |
unicameral National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD-Nassara 38, CDS-Rahama 17, PNDS-Tarayya 16, RDP-Jama'a 8, ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 4 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
83.47 years male: 80.57 years female: 86.57 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
41.59 years male: 41.74 years female: 41.44 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 13.6% male: 20.9% female: 6.6% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain | Western Africa, southeast of Algeria |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France and Spain | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $20 million (FY96) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.1% (FY96) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
2,202,608 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
1,190,787 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
108,993 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278) | Republic Day, 18 December (1958) |
Nationality | noun:
Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran |
noun:
Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien |
Natural hazards | snowslides, avalanches | recurring droughts |
Natural resources | hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead | uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum |
Net migration rate | 6.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Liberal Union or UL [Marc Forne MOLNE] (renamed Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA); National Democratic Group or AND [Ladislau BARO SOLA]; National Democratic Initiative or IDN [Vincenc MATEU Zamora]; New Democracy or ND [Jaume BARTOMEU Cassany]; Union of the People of Ordino (Unio Parroquial d'Ordino) or UPO [Simo DURO Coma]
note: there are two other small parties |
Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Mamadou TANDJA, chairman]; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 67,627 (July 2001 est.) | 10,355,156 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 63% (1993 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.17% (2001 est.) | 2.72% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 5, FM 5, shortwave 4 (1998) |
Radios | 16,000 (1997) | 680,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic (predominant) | Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: landline circuits to France and Spain |
general assessment:
small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 32,946 (December 1998) | 16,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 14,117 (December 1998) | 13,000 (1995) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (1997) | 10 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys | predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north |
Total fertility rate | 1.25 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 7.08 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | NA% |
Waterways | none | 300 km
note: the Niger River is navigable from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March |