Niger Geography

1470 Words3 Pages

With Niger's open plains, free space, and rich natural minerals, it is unsurprising that the French chose Niger to assimilate at the start of the twentieth century. Niger is a dry, arid country in West Africa's Sahara region with a population of 17,466,172 people, 63rd in population size worldwide (Central Intelligence Agency). It is about 1.267 square kilometers, close to the size of Texas. The large country has a vast, sprawling landscape, filled mainly with desert plains and dusty sand dunes. Some hills do appear in the north—the Aïr Mountains and the Blue Mountains are located near the Sahara Desert—but for the most part, the terrain remains entirely flat (Laya and Fuglestad). Niger has a climate to match its desert-like terrain. The country is one of the hottest places in the world. Though the climate is somewhat tropical in the extreme south, the country is mainly dry. Predictably, the arid, landlocked country has few sources of water. Niger does have access to Lake Chad, which is along its border, and the Niger River, which runs through the country. For the most part, though, water is scarce and droughts are common. On average, droughts affect 2,946,151.14 people per year, making it the natural disaster that affects the people of Niger the most …show more content…

Unfortunately, harsh droughts come quickly and last for long periods of time, causing the economy to grind to a halt until the crops can be watered again. This leaves little money for hospitals, education, and other needs. Niger does have some other resources, primarily minerals, that they trade with other countries. This country is home to many natural resources, such as uranium, coal, tin, gold, salt, petroleum, and more—namely, items that do not require fresh water and moist soil (Asmussen). Though droughts are by far the most common hazards, there are other environmental dangers occurring in

More about Niger Geography

Open Document