Niger: Introduction

Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Neighboring countries include Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria. The northern four-fifths of the country is desert and the southern one-fifth is savanna. The government system is a republic. The chief of state is the President and the head of government is the Prime Minister. Many of the citizens rely on subsistence farming but Niger has a largely free market system in which the prices are set by the market. Niger is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).