Niger History, Geography, Economy and Important Events

The name of the country comes from the Niger River which flows to the west of the country; The origin of the name of the river is uncertain, although a popular theory is that it comes from Tuareg en 'Girren, which means 'flowing water'. In the 19th century Europeans became more interested in Africa. Many European explorers traveled to the area of ​​modern Niger, including Mungo Park (in 1805–06), Odney-Denham-Clapperton Expedition (1822–25), Heinrich Berth (1850–55), James Richardson, and Adolf Overweg) ; Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs (1865–67), Gustav Nachtigal (1869–74) and Parfitt-Louis Montil (1890–92). During World War II, at which time mainland France was annexed by Nazi Germany, Charles de Gaulle issued the Brezzaville Declaration, declaring that the French colonial empire would be replaced after the war with a less centralized French Union .

Niger is a land-based country in West Africa that lies along the border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. The climate of Niger is mainly very hot and very dry, with much desert area. The extreme south has a tropical climate bordering the Niger River basin. The area is mainly desert plains and sand dunes, with savanna in the north and hills in the north.

Niger is a developing country, consistently at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI); It was 187th out of 188 countries for 2015 and 189th out of 189 countries in 2018 and 2019 reports. About half of the government's budget comes from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have come down somewhat over the years. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. Niger is also a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Trade Law (OHADA) in Africa.

French is the official language inherited from colonial times. It is mainly spoken as a second language by those who have received a formal Western education and serve as an administrative language. Niger has been a member of the Internationale de la Francophonie since 1970.

Algeria [L] , Benin [L] , Burkina Faso [L] , Chad [L] , Libya [L] , Mali [L] , Nigeria [L] ,
Definition of international border: L = Land Border | M = Maritime Border