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Compare Niger (2004) - Congo, Republic of the (2006)

Compare Niger (2004) z Congo, Republic of the (2006)

 Niger (2004)Congo, Republic of the (2006)
 NigerCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions 7 departments (departements, singular - departement) and 1 capital district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Age structure 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 2,749,039; female 2,643,479)


15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,799,125; female 2,925,133)


65 years and over: 2.1% (male 128,101; female 115,661) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545)


65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 27 (2003 est.) 32 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 18


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 11 (2006)
Area total: 1.267 million sq km


land: 1,266,700 sq km


water: 300 sq km
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Texas slightly smaller than Montana
Background 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 by December 1999. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
Birth rate 48.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources


expenditures: $320 million, including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.)
revenues: $1.328 billion


expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Niamey name: Brazzaville


geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E


time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 169 km
Constitution a new constitution was adopted 18 July 1999 approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Niger


conventional short form: Niger


local long form: Republique du Niger


local short form: Niger
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)


local long form: Republique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States -
Death rate 21.51 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (1999 est.) $5 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU


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, 72-31-46
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER


embassy: NA


mailing address: NA


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph DIATTA


chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227


FAX: [1] (202)483-3169
chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI


chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500


FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Disputes - international Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over the lake region, which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area
Economic aid - recipient $341 million (1997) $159.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and 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 2000-01, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $105 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation. 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. Further disbursements of aid occurred in 2002. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF.
Electricity - consumption 325.1 million kWh (2001) 619 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 100 million kWh (2001) 300 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 242 million kWh (2001) 343 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Niger River 200 m


highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Environment - current issues overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups 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 Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government


head of government: President TANDJA Mamadou (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


cabinet: 23-member Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; second round last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: TANDJA Mamadou reelected president; percent of vote - TANDJA Mamadou 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
Exports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners France 42.2%, Nigeria 28.9%, Japan 17.2%, Spain 4.4% (2003) China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
GDP purchasing power parity - $9.062 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 39%


industry: 17%


services: 44% (2001)
agriculture: 6.2%


industry: 57%


services: 36.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3.8% (2003 est.) 8.2% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 16 00 N, 8 00 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world: northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Highways total: 10,100 km


paved: 798 km


unpaved: 9,302 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.8%


highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners France 16.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 13.8%, China 10.5%, Nigeria 7.7%, US 5.5%, Japan 4.9% (2003) France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)
Independence 3 August 1960 (from France) 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA (2001 est.) 0% (2002 est.)
Industries uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate total: 122.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 126.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 118.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2002 est.) 2.2% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 660 sq km (1998 est.) 20 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries (2002 est.) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4% -
Land boundaries 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
total: 5,504 km


border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km
Land use arable land: 3.54%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 96.45% (2001)
arable land: 1.45%


permanent crops: 0.15%


other: 98.4% (2005)
Languages French (official), Hausa, Djerma French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Legal system based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)


elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 17, Social Democratic Rally 7 RDP 6i ANDP 5, Party for Socialism and Democarcy in Niger 1, other 8
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45
Life expectancy at birth total population: 42.18 years


male: 42.38 years


female: 41.97 years (2004 est.)
total population: 52.8 years


male: 51.65 years


female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 17.6%


male: 25.8%


female: 9.7% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, southeast of Algeria Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine - registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006)
Military branches Army, Air Force, National Intervention and Security Force Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $21.7 million (2003) $85.22 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.1% (2003) 1.4% (2005 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 2,460,637 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,333,027 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 122,363 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Republic Day, 18 December (1958) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Nigerien(s)


adjective: Nigerien
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards recurring droughts seasonal flooding
Natural resources uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate -0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ANDP [leader NA]; 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]; Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger [leader NA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman] the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal); Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
Population 11,360,538 (July 2004 est.) 3,702,314


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 63% (1993 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.67% (2004 est.) 2.6% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Railways - total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Religions Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Sex ratio 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: 1.11 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order


domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable


international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 22,400 (2002) 13,800 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 24,000 (2003) 490,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002) 1 (2002)
Terrain predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 6.83 children born/woman (2004 est.) 6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA (2002 est.) NA%
Waterways 300 km


note: Niger River is navigable to Gaya between September and March (2004)
4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005)
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