Browse listings of B&B, Home Exchange, Vacation Rentals (furnished apartments, villas, cottages, condos, farmhouses and other types of accommodations) of Niger:
Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Niger
- Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
- Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellullar phone etc.)
- Currency: West African CFA franc (CFA)
- Country Dialing Code: 227
Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List by
- Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves
- W National Park of Niger
Niger
Location
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Capital
Niamey
Population
11,665,937 (July 2005 est.)
Regions
regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (commune urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder
Climate
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
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
Religions
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian
Languages
French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Government type
republic
Background
Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Col. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. 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.
Visitor's Impressions
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