Map - Niger (Republic of Niger)

Flag of Niger

Niger or the Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger (République du Niger, Jamhuriyar Nijar), is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. It covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km2, making it the largest landlocked country in West Africa. Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara. Its predominantly Muslim population of about million live mostly in clusters in the further south and west of the country. The capital Niamey is located in Niger's southwest corner.

It is one of the least developed countries and is also one of the poorest countries in the world by GDP per capita. Some non-desert portions of the country underwent periodic drought and desertification. The economy is concentrated around subsistence agriculture, with some export agriculture in the less arid south, and export of raw materials, including uranium ore. It faces challenges to development due to its landlocked position, desert terrain, low literacy rate, jihadist insurgencies and the world's highest fertility rates due to birth control not being used and the resulting rapid population growth.

Its society reflects a diversity drawn from the independent histories of some ethnic groups and regions and their period living in a single state. Historically, Niger has been on the fringes of some states. Since independence, Nigeriens have lived under 5 constitutions and 3 periods of military rule. After the military coup in 2010, Niger became a multi-party state. A majority of the population lives in rural areas.

The name comes from the Niger River which flows through the west of the country; a theory about the origin of the river's name is that it comes from the Tuareg n'eghirren meaning 'flowing water'. The pronunciation is the French one of, while in Anglophone media is also used.