Niger

Republic of Niger République du Niger  (French)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "Fraternité, Travail, Progrès" (French) "Fraternity, Work, Progress"
Anthem: La Nigérienne
Location of  Niger  (dark green) – in Africa  (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union  (light blue)
Capital and largest city	Niamey 13°32′N 2°05′E / 13.533°N 2.083°E / 13.533; 2.083
Official languages	French
National languages	Arabic Buduma Fulfulde Gourmanchéma Hausa Kanuri Zarma & Songhai Tamasheq Tassawaq Tebu
Demonym	Nigerien /naɪdʒɪrɪˈɛn/ or /niːˈʒɛəriən/
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Mahamadou Issoufou
• Prime Minister	Brigi Rafini
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence from France
• Declared	3 August 1960
Area
• Total	1,267,000 km2 (489,000 sq mi) (21st)
• Water (%)	0.02
Population
• July 2016 estimate	18,638,600 (61st)
• 2012 census	17,138,707
• Density	12.1/km2 (31.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$20.228 billion
• Per capita	$1,111
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	$7.652 billion
• Per capita	$420
Gini (2011)	31.5 medium
HDI (2014)	0.348 low · 188th
Currency	West African CFA franc (XOF)
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+227
ISO 3166 code	NE
Internet TLD	.ne
Lowest ranked.

Coordinates: 16°N 8°E / 16°N 8°E / 16; 8

– in Africa  (light blue & dark grey)
– in the African Union  (light blue)

Niger (ⁱ/ˈnaɪdʒər/ or /niːˈʒɛər/;French: [niʒɛʁ]), officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Niger is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km², making it the largest country in West Africa, with over 80 percent of its land area covered by the Sahara Desert. The country's predominantly Islamic population of about 19 million is mostly clustered in the far south and west of the country. The capital city is Niamey, located in the far-southwest corner of Niger.