Niger Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 1.267 million sq km

land: 1,266,700 sq km

water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 5,834 km

border countries (7): Algeria 951 km, Benin 277 km, Burkina Faso 622 km, Chad 1196 km, Libya 342 km, Mali 838 km, Nigeria 1608 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Terrain

predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north

Elevation

highest point: Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m

lowest point: Niger River 200 m

mean elevation: 474 m

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Land use

agricultural land: 35.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 12.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 22.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 1% (2018 est.)

other: 63.9% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

1,000 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

34.05 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map

Natural hazards

recurring droughts

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

NOTE: The information regarding Niger on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Niger 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Niger 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.