Niger

Kyle Baker __**Niger**__ __Location__ Niger is located in West Africa. It lies between latitudes 11°N and 24°N, and longitudes 0° and 16°E.
 * A. Niger’s Background Information**

__Neighboring Countries__ Niger borders seven countries. It borders Nigeria to the south, Chad to the east, Algeria to the north-northwest, Mali to the west-northwest, Burkina Faso to the west-southwest, Benin to the southwest, and Libya to the north-northeast. __Major Type of Topography__ Niger’s topography is mostly desert plains and sand dunes, with flatter land in the south and more hills in the north. __Type of Government__ Niger has a semi-presidential republic as their type of government. This type of government has a president and prime minister that are both actively involved in the day-to-day administration of the nation. __Current Government Leaders__ Niger’s current president is Mahamadou Issoufou, and Niger’s current prime minister is Brigi Rafini. President Issoufou [] Prime Minister Rafini [] __Regions__ Niger is divided into seven regions and one capital district. Those regions are divided into thirty-six départements. Those départements are divided into two hundred sixty-five communes, one hundred twenty-two cantons, and eighty-one groupements. __Map__ [] __Flag__ [] __Major Languages__ Niger’s official language is French. Niger’s national languages include Hausa, Fulfulde, Gulmancema, Kanuri, Zarma, and Tamasheq. __Population__ As of July 2011, Niger’s population was estimated to be 16,468,886. __Development__ Niger is a least developed country, because it consistently ranks very low on the United Nations' Human Development Index. Also, Niger’s GDP per capita is very low compared to most of the world’s nations. Niger relies on agriculture production, has poor education, has the highest birth rate in the world, and has poor healthcare. All four of those qualities are also strong indicators that Niger is a least developed country. __Climate__ Niger has a subtropical climate that is mainly very hot and arid. The average rainfall ranges from one to thirty inches per year depending on the location in Niger. Temperature ranges from 31°C to 41°C during typical days in Niger, while night temperatures usually decrease below 20°C. __Biomes__ The majority of the land in Niger is part of the desert biome, although there is a small portion of the southern part of Niger that is part of the savanna biome. __Endangered Species__ An endangered species that inhabits Niger is the sinai hooktail, which has the scientific name Paragomphus sinaiticus. It is a type of dragonfly that has become endangered because of habitat loss. Its habitat includes rivers and springs that have been polluted by pesticides used for agriculture. Another endangered species that inhabits Niger is the red-fronted gazelle, which has the scientific name Eudorcas rufifrons. The red-fronted gazelle prefers a savanna habitat. It has become endangered because of habitat loss; the majority of the land where its habitat used to be located is being used for agricultural purposes. Sinai Hooktail [] __An Extinct Species__ One extinct species that was located in in northern Niger is the atlas bear, which has the scientific name Ursus arctos crowtheri. This bear became extinct in the 1870s, because it was hunted for sport. Atlas Bear [] __Rate of Growth__ As of 2011, Niger’s population growth rate was 3.643%. __Doubling Time__ Niger’s doubling time is about nineteen years. That doubling time is faster than the world’s average. __Birth Rate, Death Rate, Immigration Rate, and Emigration Rate__ Niger’s birth rate is 5.05%, and its death rate is 1.41%. Niger’s immigration rate is 0.89%, and its emigration rate is 0.89%. This data makes a 3.64% growth rate which agrees with the actual growth rate from earlier. __Stage of Demographic Transition__ Niger is in stage two, transitional, of the demographic transition process, because its birth rate is very high while its death rate is much lower. __Family Planning__ Niger does not have any type of family planning as of right now. __Terrestrial Biomes__ Niger is mostly part of the desert biome, but there is a small portion of southern Niger that is part of the savanna biome. __Aquatic Biomes__ Niger’s only major aquatic biomes are the Niger River Basin in southern Niger and Lake Chad in south-eastern Niger. Both of those are freshwater biomes. __Human Impacts on the Biomes__ Most of Niger’s land is being converted for agricultural purposes which takes away habitat and diminishes soil quality. The small portion of savanna is being desertificated because of overgrazing livestock. The aquatic biomes are becoming polluted by pesticides, fertilizers, and waste from human activities. __Five Endangered or Extinct Species__ Five endangered species that inhabit Niger are the addax, dama gazelle, African wild dog, rhim gazelle, and Barbary sheep. These species’ scientific names are Addax nasomaculatus, Gazella dama, Lycaon pictus, Gazella leptoceros, and Ammotragus lervia respectively. __Reasons for Species Becoming Endangered__ All of those species have become endangered because of habitat loss. Construction of uranium, gold, and coal mines and making of more agricultural land has reduced the habitats. Also, these species have been overhunted; the lack of awareness of these decreasing species populations is not helping either. __Introduced Species__ The purple nut sedge, scientific name Cyperus rotundus, is one introduced species to Niger. This type of sedge significantly reduces crop yield. The white leadtree, scientific name Leucaena leucocephala, is another introduced species to Niger. This type of small tree grows very quickly causing native vegetation to be crowded out by it. __Top Three Resources__ Uranium, gold, and coal are Niger’s top three resources. __Number One Export__ Niger’s number one export is uranium. [] __Number One Import__ Niger’s number one import is foodstuffs. __National Parks__ The only national park in Niger is W National Park. __Type of Agriculture__ Niger’s agriculture involves subsistent agriculture along with raising livestock. Most of the crops grown in Niger are used by the natives rather than exported. Drip irrigation is the main way the crops get water in Niger. __Pest Protection__ In Niger, crops are protected from pests by pesticides. This high use of pesticides pollutes the soil. Because Niger is a least developed country, they cannot afford to use anything else for pest management. __People’s Food Needs__ Much of Niger’s population lives off a limited amount of food. 63% of the people in Niger live below the poverty line meaning they struggle to get enough food to survive. __Ways of Obtaining Water__ A large majority of Niger gets their water from the Niger River Basin or Lake Chad. Niger’s vast desert land makes it hard for the people of Niger to get sufficient amounts of water. __State of the Water__ The water quality in Niger is very poor. Most of the water available in Niger is polluted by pesticides, human-excreted wastes, and human trash. The water is also filled with waterborne diseases. The awareness to clean the water in and around Niger is very low causing the water quality to continue to decrease.
 * B. Niger’s Biodiversity**
 * C. Human Population**
 * D. Biodiversity**
 * E. Resource Management**