Overview of the Country of Niger - Research Paper Example

Niger Order No. 836848 Introduction Niger is a landlocked country in the Western region of the African continent. It is surrounded by Chad to the East, Mali and Burkina Faso to the West, Libya and Algeria to the North, and Benin and Nigeria to the South. It is a developing country and derives its name from the river Niger that flows through its Southwest. It is a republic emerging from military rule and has a population of 15 million. The country covers a land area of almost 1.3 million kms. that makes it the largest in West Africa and the 22nd largest from the viewpoint of landmass in the world. Large deserts cover the North of the country. A little over three fourths of its area is covered by the Sahara desert. The terrain is largely made up of desert plains and sand dunes, with flat to rolling Savannas in the South and hills in the North. The Southwest of the country, where the river Niger flows, is the only fertile land and is also home to most of its citizens. The Niger stretches across Western Africa for a length of about 2, 600 miles and is considered to be one of the primary rivers in Africa besides the Nile and the Congo. The Geographical layout of Niger is almost twice as more as that of California and comprises of mixed terrain with central hills and plateaus that merge themselves into expansive lowlands with plains in the North and mountains in the Southwest. Each region experiences its own climate. The North is a more arid region, while the center of Niger experiences a tropical kind of climate, and the South a more Equatorial climate. This happens because the African continent is extremely vast. The Atlantic Ocean at 0m is considered to be the lowest point, while the highest point is taken to be Chappal Waddi which rises to a height of 2, 419m through which runs Africa’s most famous river, the Niger. This river flows southwards, winding its way through tropical rain forests and forms a delta known as the ‘Gulf of Guinea.’ Niger is one of the most populated countries in Africa and has a population of approximately 135 people. Though the life expectancy borders around 47 years, its literacy rate is just over 68%, with English as its official language. Niger has over 250 ethnic groups made up of around 50% of Muslims, with Christians at 40% and the other 10% is made up of other indigenous people. The population of Niger is predominantly Islamic and is distributed mostly between the West and the far South of the country, primarily because that is the only inhabitable land mass due to the presence of the river Niger and the flora, fauna and fertile land surrounding it. The people are mostly descendents of the nomadic Tuaregs, who were the first inhabitants of the Sahara region, followed by the Hausa from the 14th century, the Zerma from the 17th century, the Gobir from the 18th century and the Fulani from the 19th century. Niamey is the capital city and is located in the far-southwest corner. The country was incorporated into French West Africa in 1896. At the time, the country was in a state of seemingly perpetual turmoil, but once harmony was restored, the French made the area its colony in 1922.The French constitution was adopted through referendum in 1959 that made it an autonomous republic with the French community. To this day, the country is faced with serious social, natural and political problems. There is economic instability as nature isn’t too favorable making the country, its people and economy vulnerable to drought from time to time, with the constant threat of locust infestation. Added to this, is political instability arising from constant friction between the civilian political parties and the military and internecine wars among various tribes. U.S. Immigration: The African Experience People of African descent in the United States, until the early 20th century, were not considered as part of America’s migratory tradition historically. This puzzling fact of American society derives from the transatlantic slave trade between the African continent and Europe that existed between the 15th and 19th centuries. This had created an enduring perception of African Americans as transported commodities. After the European discovery of the American continent, the demand for African labor gradually increased, as other sources of labor – both European and American – were found to be insufficient. The Spanish took the first African captives to the Americas from Europe as early as 1503, and by 1518, the first captives were shipped directly from Africa to America. The majority of African captives were exported from the coast of West Africa. Since the middle 20th century, people from Africa have immigrated to the United States in search of peace and prosperity. They have acclimatized themselves to the American way of life and also considered themselves as African Americans. However, they continue to preserve their bonding with their land of origin. Nigerian Americans are United States Americans of Nigerian descent, or those who originated from Niger. There exist Nigerian American communities in New York City and other parts of the United States. Most Nigerian immigrants in the U.S. belong to ethnic groups Hausa, Zarma and Shonghay. The most spoken languages among the Nigerian Americans are Housa and Djerma. They also speak French, albeit as a second language, and English. In present times, most immigration from Niger to the United States occurs through the Green card system. The Nigerians who leave their country, do so to escape poverty, unemployment, high taxes, social strife and with the hope of providing better education, and thereby a better life for their children. Given the tight restrictions on immigration to Europe, most Nigerians are immigrating to the United States. Many of the Nigerians who succeed in landing in the United States through the Green Card system, manage to find employment, save enough money to send back home for their kith and kin to have a better life. The Push Factor There is more than one motivation for people from Niger to immigrate to the United States. Natural disaster, political instability, social inequality, economic fluctuations, widespread poverty, human rights abuse and a hostile terrain have each contributed to the outflow of people to the United States, the land of promise, in search of peace, prosperity and civil rights. Niger suffered from a chronic problem of slavery, which was widespread until the year 2002. Slavery was criminalized in 2003 under intense international pressure. In spite of this, it is suspected that about 50,000 people are held as slaves. In 2005, the government planned a public ceremony to free around 10,000 slaves but the government reneged at the very last minute and denied the existence of slaves in the country. That same year, the country was confronted with the worst locust infestation in 15 years and a severe drought at the same time. It was reported that close to four million people suffered from poverty, diseases and malnutrition. The government at the time, was in a state of denial and passed off the crisis as negative political propaganda by the political opposition party. The nomadic tribes of Niger, mostly the Tuaregs, have never been in harmony with the black African majority. The social tension between the two communities exploded into conflict in the early 20th century. A cease -fire between the Tuareg rebel groups- who took to a rebellion in the first place because of the feeling of being marginalized, and the government forces, was declared in 1995 and again in 1997. The Tuaregs continue to be impoverished and get little assistance from the government leading to persistent tensions. The country faced a severe 7 year drought between 1968 and 1975. It was devastating and left approximately 2 million people starving. An international effort that involved supply of more than 200,000 tonnes of food, half of which came from the United States, brought relief and ended the catastrophic famine conditions. The African country ranks among the lowest in the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Although the country’s economy survives around some export agriculture and subsistence in the fertile southern region, and the export of Uranium ore, most of the country’s non-desert parts are under constant threat of drought and desertification. Niger remains disadvantaged due to its geographically landlocked position, its desert terrain, illiteracy, poverty, poor or no infrastructure, little or no health care, and environmental degradation. In 1922, Niger became a French colony. In 1956, it became an autonomous region within the French community. In 1960, Niger became fully independent and ceased to be a part of the French community. For the first fourteen years, the country had a single party civilian regime. However, a combination of a severe drought and accusations of rampant corruption resulted in a coup that overthrew the civilian regime and military rule was established. A multiparty democratic system came into existence in early 1991 after serious unrest triggered by union and the student population. Political instability continued through 1993 as the economy deteriorated, while the country witnessed yet another political transition. Between 1993 and 2000, there were elections and referendums that saw a mix of ruling parties and premiers. In 2000, there was yet another coup followed by a year of military rule. Political instability, corruption and poor management of the economy soon saw Oil- rich Nigeria take a downward slide towards becoming impoverished. The main reason for such a catastrophe was because the administration failed to diversify its economic resources by creating better reforms to manage the oil sector and also to manage its escalating population growth. In fact, it is rather a pity that the country which was once a major food exporter, has now become a food importer in order to feed its millions. Conclusion However, in 2000, the IMF stand by agreement was signed, Niger received a credit of 1 billion $ from the IMF and from the Paris Club it received a debt- restructuring deal, to help frame good economic reforms for the country. Niger failed to comply with the spending and exchange rate targets and was compelled to pull out of the IMF program in 2002, thus making itself ineligible for any additional debt resource. However, urged by the IMF, the government has tried to bring in some reforms to curb the inflation. Some of those reforms included doing away with excessive wage demands, modernizing the prevailing banking system, resolving issues of regional disputes involving the disbursement of profits from the oil industry and implementing better market reforms. By the year 2003, the government brought in many more changes into the country. Some of these changes included the privatization of the four major oil refineries in the country, bringing about the deregularization of fuel prices and initiated the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy to reduce poverty in the country and enhance the growth facility for progressive fiscal management. Once again Abuja received a Paris Club approval for debt relief and this time Niger adhered to the stringent laws laid down by the IMF, which finally worked out well for the country because by 2005, the country’s GDP increased strongly due to the increase in oil exports of the country. In 2011, the country witnessed free and fair elections that finally brought some degree of political stability. During these long years of political instability, the country had a steady out flow of people to the United States. Niger, as a country had been witness to many harsh realities in life on the domestic and international front and thereby has understood its dangers. Though the country, to this day has never witnessed complete political stability, yet, however, presently it is making better progress when considering its poor beginnings. References: Nigerian American Stats – NationMaster, Web, May, 2013 http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ng-niger/imm-immigration Niger Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Web, 2013 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107843.html?pageno=2 AAME : Home, IN MOTION , © The New York Public Library, 2005. http://www.inmotionaame.org/home.cfm;jsessionid=f830720431366981892221?bhcp=1 African Studies Center | Niger Page, University of Pennsylvania, Web, May, 2013 http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Country_Specific/Niger.html Africa and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade – BBC, Web, Oct. 5th, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/africa_article_01.shtml Read More