Niger
Niamey · West Africa
Niger is a country in Africa. Its capital city is Niamey, the official currency is the West African CFA Franc, and the main language is French.
With a population of roughly 26.2 million people spread over 1,267,000 km², Niger is the 55th most populous country in the world and the 21st largest by area. That works out at about 21 people per square kilometre.
Niger shares land borders with Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali — 7 neighbours in all. Its largest urban centres are Niamey, Zinder and Maradi. The highest point in the country is Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès, at 2,022 metres.
For scale, it covers almost exactly the same area as Chad, while its population is closest to that of North Korea.
- Capital
- Niamey
- Region
- West Africa
- Population
- 26,200,000
- Area
- 1,267,000 km²
- Currency
- West African CFA Franc
- Main language
- French
- Highest point
- Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès
2,022 m - Land borders
- 7
Niger: things worth knowing
- More than 80% of Niger is Sahara, and it is one of the hottest countries on Earth.
- It has among the highest birth rates in the world, giving it a very young population.
- The Air and Ténéré reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Africa.
Niger in context
Africa has 54 sovereign countries in total. Niger ranks 18th among them by population.
See the full list of Africa countries, or browse all 195 countries.