World Factbook
Niger
République du Niger
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
1,266,700 sq km
water
300 sq km
total
1.267 million sq km
Climate
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Land use
other
62.4% (2023 est.)
forest
0.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
36.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 14% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 22.7% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Niger River 200 m
highest point
Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m
mean elevation
474 m
Irrigated land
2,881 sq km (2022)
Major aquifers
Lake Chad Basin, Lullemeden-Irhazer Basin, Murzuk-Djado Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
5,834 km
border countries
Algeria 951 km; Benin 277 km; Burkina Faso 622 km; Chad 1,196 km; Libya 342 km; Mali 838 km; Nigeria 1,608 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
recurring droughts
Geography - note
landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna that is suitable for livestock and limited agriculture
Natural resources
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Geographic coordinates
16 00 N, 8 00 E
Population distribution
majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq km note - area varies by season and year to year
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Niger (2,261,741 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Niger (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, Benin, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth