Niger
Previous medals in the OlympicsNiger had won one Bronze medal in the summer Olympics. History & Etymologythe early of this land goes way back to the time when these areas were dominated and ruled by local tribal kingdoms. Kanem-Bornu was the first empire to rule over this country and afterwards Songhai Empire and Faluni Empire of Sokoto. The French stormed this nation in the late 19th century and it became a French colony. After that this country has been under the French West African territories and like any other African countries it also had become to be a victim of colonial exploitation. Apart from the socio-political tensions this country has also been suffering from curses like poverty and drought through the 20th century. Over the years this place indeed has seen lots of ups and downs and has remained a silence witness of all these events. The time when it got freedomNiger got its independence from the hands of the French government in the year 1960. Geographical setting and the neighbouring countriesit is a landlocked country and in size it can be compared to Angola. The tropical climate and the Niger River made this country attractive to the tourists from various parts of this world. Long stretch of sand dunes and dense forests reflects typical African characteristics in Niger. The highest point of this African nation is the Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès in Aïr Massif at 2,022 6,634 ft. Government and politicslike other African countries, it has also been suffering from political agitations. Niger was run through a single party regime till the first 15 years after its independence. Political violence had affected the lives of the people of this country a lot. Municipal elections are probably the main core factor of the political atmosphere of Niger. On 24th July; 2004 the first successful municipal elections were held here to pick members of 266 councils. Inspite of the elections the threat of the civil-unrest condition is still a part of the lives of the Niger people. Economythe economic growth of this country rotates around various crops, small scale agricultural industriesand some big uranium deposits. But Niger has been suffering constantly over the years from social curses like drought and utter poverty along with population growth. Niger has been getting help from World Bank and various other International Monetary Fund Programs. Apart from poverty andpopulation another major problem of this country is undoubtedly Aids and HIV, a big obstacle to economic growth, which has become a common symptom for almost all African nations. Research works have also shown that there are some sorts of mineral resources like gold and oil can also be found in this country and if the government of Niger can take proper initiatives then it can get benefits out of it. Niger had received almost 100% multilateral debt relief from IMF in 2005 and thus the economic growth of this country is dependant heavily on US and rich African countries. Culturevariety is the spice of the culture of this country and anybody, visiting this country, would get fascinated by its flavor. Here one will get to see a mixed culture that gives a fine blend of ancient African tribal races like Sokoto and Kaouar along with the ethnic groups. As we know that the French hade ruled over this region for a long time, so one can also see a French reflection upon the culture and custom of the people of this country. Actually people from different religions have played a unique role in shaping the culture extravaganza of this country. Currencyofficial currency of this country is the West African CFA Franc. But you would be having no such problems in transferring US dollars here. Capital cityNiamey, a lively city with colorful markets and such other entertaining means, is the capital city of Niger. Populationaccording to the very recent census report, the approximate population of Niger is 13,252,700 |
