Niger

=**TASK 1: FACTFILE**=

Official name:
Republic of Niger (Republique du Niger)

Capital:
Niamey

Total Space Area:
1,267,000 sq km (22nd largest country in the world)

Population:
16,468,886 (July 2011 est.)

Languages:
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Flag of Niger
TASK 2: LOCATION AND CLIMATE



Task 3:ECONOMIC PRODUCTION
What is the GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)? $11.05 billion (2010 est.)

How does this compare with the rest of the world? country comparison to the world: 147

What is the GDP per capital $700 (2010 est.)

How does this compare with the rest of the world? country comparison to the world: 221

What is the unemployment rate? NA%

What is the percentage of the Population below the poverty line? 63% (1993 est.)

What are this country's main agricultural products? cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

What are this country's main industries? uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Export partners? Nigeria 68.3%, US 12.2%, Ghana 9.8% (2010)

Imports partners? China 17.8%, France 16.5%, French Polynesia 7.2%, Nigeria 6.7%, Algeria 5.3%, Cote dIvoire 4.9% (2010)

=__**TASK 5- How is it to live here?**__=

2 French Hostages are found dead in Niger By Steven Erlanger Published: January 8, 2011

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The article "2 French Hostages are found dead in Niger" is about 2 french hostages kidnaped and found dead in Niger after a failed rescue attempt in Niamey. The two militaries of Niger and France fought four men wearing turbans. According to the French government two hostages were kidnapped from a bar in Niamey(the Niger capital). When they were kidnaped by four armed men wearing turbans which tried to take them to Mali. They were then followed by the Niger and French military when they were intercepted on the border of Niger and Mali on saturday. After a firefight the two hostages were found dead.=====

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According to NY Times.com, the French defense minister Alain Juppé said, “The terrorists were intercepted at the Mali border and several of them were neutralized,” he said, using a euphemism for killed. “After the fighting, the two hostages were found dead.” Their names were not immediately released =====

www.Newyorktimes.com

Niger faces cereal deficit due to poor rain By: (Reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Ralph Gowling) Published: Thu Oct 27, 2011

The article "Niger faces cereal deficit due to poor rain" is about the food shortage in Niger. Niger is one of the poorest nations in Africa. Niger's is trying to recover from the impact of the Libyan conflict. The fights in Libya to the north of Niger has cut millions of doller's in remittances, from the migrant workers and have seen thousands return home. Some of these people were armed and because of this the safety of Niger is insecure.

This is what the government had to say about this crisis "Niger's facing a deficit of 519,000 tonnes of cereals after poor rains and pests affected this year's crops". This deficit is about 14 % of the 16.3 million people that rely on subsistence farming of a nation that sits on the edge of the Sahara. The west African country looks at a "recurrent food crisis". Sadly this year's deficit is bigger than the gaps of the poor rains in 2009. Which then led to the food shortage in 2010 that left about 7 million people hungry (according to the government). "The early end to the rains and attacks (on crops) by worms and grasshoppers have not allowed this year's (farming) campaign to satisfy our needs," the government said in a statement.

Niger has had help from many foreign donors.

The U.N said last month that Niger risked the destabilising impact of the thousands of migrant workers returning from Libya, themselves seeking food and jobs in a country heading into a food crisis.

http://af.reuters.com/article/nigerNews/idAFL5E7LQ56O20111027?sp=true

19 Hostages Rescued by Nigerian Forces By REUTERS Published: November 17, 2010

The article "19 hostages rescued by Nigerian forces" is about Nigeria's military rescuing 19 hostages from the Niger Delta oil region. The hostages who were freed were two Americans, two French citizens, two Indonesians and a Canadian "who had been abducted from an oil rig," as well as eight Nigerians taken hostage from an Exxon Mobil platform and four others, two officials involved in the operation said. “It was a land, air and marine assault,” said one of the officials, who requested anonymity because of the delicate nature of the operation.

The military task force responsible for security in the vast wetlands region, which is the heartland of the country’s oil and gas industry, said earlier that it was carrying out several operations simultaneously in the Niger Delta but declined to provide details. A military spokesman declined to comment on the operation or to confirm whether the hostages had been freed, saying a statement would be issued Thursday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/world/africa/18nigeria.html?ref=niger

=__ Task 6: Environmental Issue __=

What is the EPI score given to your country? Niger has been given a score of 37.6. How does this compare with other countries? It is ranked 158th out of 163 countries. Which environmental issues are the biggest concern for your country? Current Issues of Concern: environmental health, water stress index, CO2 emissions per electricity generation, ecosystem Ozone and environmental burden of disease. ** TASK 7 EDUCATION **

What percentage of the GDP is spent on education? 4.5% of GDP (2009)

How does this compare with the rest of the world? 84

What percentage of the population is literate? 28.7%

Is there a major difference in rates of literacy between male and female? male: 42.9% female: 15.1% (2005 est.)

How many years is a person expected to attend school? total: 5 years male: 6 years female: 5 years (2010)

Is there a difference between between males and females? yes