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Niger
 
[French Flag]
            23 Jul 1900 - 23 Nov 1959 
 
[Flag of Niger]
         Adopted 23 Nov 1959
 
Map of Niger
Hear National Anthem
"La Nigerienne"
(Song of Niger)
Text of National Anthem
Adopted 1961
Constitution
(18 Jul 1999; in French)
Capital: Niamey
(Zinder 1911-1926;
Niamey 1903-1910;
Sorbo Haoussa 1900-1903)
Currency: Communauté
Financière Africaine
Franc (XAF)
National Holiday: 18 Dec (1958)
Republic Day 
Population: 12,894,865 (2007)
GDP: $12.23 billion (2006)
Exports: $222 million (2004)
Imports: $588 million (2004) 
Ethnic groups: Hausa 53%, Djerma (Zerma) 21.2%, Taureg 10.4%,
Fulani (Peul) 9.8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri-Nanga) 4.4%, Teda 0.3%,
Arab 0.3%, Gurma 0.3%, Toubou, Gourmantche,
other 0.9%, about 1,200 French expatriates (1988)
Total Armed Forces: 5,300 (2003)
Merchant marine: None (2006)
Religions: Sunni Muslim 90.7%, traditional beliefs 8.7%,
Christian 0.5%, other 0.1% (2000)
International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, AfDB, APM, AU, BTWC, CEMAC, CTBT, ECOWAS, ENMOD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISESCO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, KP, NAM, NPT, NTBT, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCLOS (signatory), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Niger Index
Chronology

23 Jul 1900                French military territory of Zinder;
                             part of French West Africa (see Senegal).
22 Jun 1910                Niger military territory.
 4 Dec 1920                Niger territory.
26 Dec 1922                French colony (Niger).
16 Jun 1940 - Nov 1942     Administration loyal to Vichy France
                             (from Nov 1942, Free French).
13 Oct 1946                Niger overseas territory of France.
19 Dec 1958                Autonomy (Republic of Niger).
 3 Aug 1960                Independence from France.

Traditional
States
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Commandants
23 Jul 1900 - 1901         Étienne Péroz                      (b. 1857 - d. 1910)
1901 - Oct 1904            Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud        (b. 1867 - d. 1946)
Oct 1904 - 190.            Noël
190. - 190.                Joseph Gauderique Aymerich         (b. 1857 - d. 1937)
190. - 190.                Lamolle
190. - 190.                Cristofari
190. - 1911                Paul Célestin Marie Joseph Venel   (b. 1864 - d. 1920)
27 Sep 1911 - 1912         Hocquart
1912 - 24 Feb 1913         Charles Camille Thierry de Maugras
                             (acting)
Commissioners
24 Feb 1913 -  4 Dec 1913  Charles Camille Thierry de Maugras
                             (acting)
 4 Dec 1913 - 15 Nov 1915  Paul Célestin Marie Joseph Venel   (s.a.)
15 Nov 1915 - 24 Jan 1918  Charles Henri Mourin
24 Jan 1918 - 1919         Marie Joseph Félix Méchet          (b. 1870 - d. 19..)
Aug 1919 - 1920            Claude Paul Émile Lefebvre
1920 -  5 Jul 1920         Maurice Gustave Fernand Renauld
                             (acting)
 5 Jul 1920 - 1921         Lucien Émile Rueff
1921 - 26 Dec 1922         Joseph Jules Brévié                (b. 1880 - d. 1964)
Lieutenant governors
26 Dec 1922 -  9 Oct 1929  Joseph Jules Brévié                (s.a.)
23 Mar 1923 - Sep 1925     Léonce Jore (acting for Brévié)    (b. 1882 - d. 1975)
 9 Oct 1929 - 21 Nov 1929  Jean Baptiste Robert Fayout 
                             (acting)
21 Nov 1929 - 30 Oct 1930  Alphonse Paul Albert Choteau       (d. 1936)
30 Oct 1930 -  9 Sep 1931  Louis Placide Blacher              (b. 1883 - d. 1960)
 9 Sep 1931 - 25 May 1933  Théophile Antoine Pascal Tellier   (b. 1872 - d. 1955)
25 May 1933 - May 1934     Maurice Léon Bourgine              (b. 1879 - d. 1963)
May 1934 - 16 Mar 1935     Léon Charles Alphonse Pêtre
16 Mar 1935 - 29 Apr 1938  Joseph Urbain Court                (b. 1881 - d. 1948)
29 Apr 1938 - 18 Feb 1939  Jean-Baptiste Victor Chazelas
                             (acting)
18 Feb 1939 -  7 Nov 1940  Jean Alexandre Léon Rapenne        (b. 1901)
 7 Nov 1940 -  8 Dec 1940  Léon Solomiac (acting)             (b. 1873 - d. 1960)
 8 Dec 1940 -  4 Mar 1942  Maurice Émile Falvy                (b. 1888 - d. 1970)
 4 Mar 1942 - 21 Dec 1954  Jean-François Toby                 (b. 1900 - d. 1964)
                             (acting to Dec 1942) 
30 Apr 1936 - 13 Oct 1946  Jacques Gosselin 
                             (acting for Toby)
24 Nov 1948 - 25 Feb 1949  Lucien Geay 
                             (acting for Toby)
25 Feb 1949 - 29 Mar 1950  Igance Colombani 
                             (acting for Toby)
11 Feb 1952 - 23 Feb 1953  Fernand Georges Gaston Casimir     (b. 1896 - d. 19..)
                             (acting for Toby)
21 Dec 1954 -  3 Nov 1956  Jean Paul Ramadier                 (b. 1913 - d. 1968)
 3 Nov 1956 - 29 Jan 1958  Paul Camille Bordier               (b. 1921 - d. 2003)
29 Jan 1958 - 25 Aug 1958  Louis Félix Rollet (acting)
High commissioner
25 Aug 1958 - 10 Nov 1960  Jean Colombani                     (b. 1903)
President
10 Nov 1960 - 15 Apr 1974  Hamani Diori                       (b. 1916 - d. 1989)  PPN
Presidents of the Supreme Military Council
17 Apr 1974 - 10 Nov 1987  Seyni Kountché                     (b. 1931 - d. 1987)  Mil
10 Nov 1987 - 17 May 1989  Ali Saibou                         (b. 1940)            Mil 
                            (interim to 14 Nov 1987)
President of the Supreme Council of National Orientation
17 May 1989 - 20 Dec 1989  Ali Saibou                         (s.a.)               MNSD
Presidents
20 Dec 1989 - 27 Mar 1993  Ali Saibou                         (s.a.)               MNSD
27 Mar 1993 - 27 Jan 1996  Mahamane Ousmane                   (b. 1950)            CDS
Chairman of the National Salvation Council
27 Jan 1996 -  7 Aug 1996  Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara            (b. 1949 - d. 1999)  Mil
President
 7 Aug 1996 -  9 Apr 1999  Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara            (s.a.)               UNRID
Chairman of the National Reconciliation Council
11 Apr 1999 - 22 Dec 1999  Daouda Malam Wanké                 (b. 1954 - d. 2004)  Mil
President
22 Dec 1999 -              Mamadou Tandja                     (b. 1938)            MNSD

Vice President of the Council of Government
20 May 1957 - 26 Jul 1958  Djibo Bakary                       (b. 1922 - d. 1998) 
Presidents of the Government Council
26 Jul 1958 - 10 Oct 1958  Djibo Bakary                       (s.a.) 
18 Dec 1958 - 25 Feb 1959  Hamani Diori                       (s.a.)               PPN
Prime ministers 
25 Feb 1959 - 10 Nov 1960  Hamani Diori                       (s.a.)               PPN
10 Nov 1960 - 24 Jan 1983  Post abolished
24 Jan 1983 - 14 Nov 1983  Mamane Oumarou (1st time)          (b. 1945)            Non-party
14 Nov 1983 - 15 Jul 1988  Ahmid Algabid                      (b. 1941)            Non-party
15 Jul 1988 - 20 Dec 1989  Mamane Oumarou (2nd time)          (s.a.)               MNSD
20 Dec 1989 -  2 Mar 1990  Post abolished
 2 Mar 1990 - 27 Oct 1991  Aliou Mahamidou                    (b. 1936 - d. 1996)  MNSD
27 Oct 1991 - 17 Apr 1993  Amadou Cheiffou                    (b. 1942)            Non-party
17 Apr 1993 - 28 Sep 1994  Mahamadou Issoufou                 (b. 1952)            PNDS
28 Sep 1994 -  8 Feb 1995  Souley Abdoulaye                   (b. 1965)            CDS
 8 Feb 1995 - 21 Feb 1995  Amadou Boubacar Cissé (1st time)   (b. 1948)            Non-party
21 Feb 1995 - 27 Jan 1996  Hama Amadou (1st time)             (b. 1950)            MNSD
30 Jan 1996 - 21 Dec 1996  Boukary Adji                       (b. 1939)            Non-party
21 Dec 1996 - 27 Nov 1997  Amadou Boubacar Cissé (2nd time)   (s.a.)               MNSD
27 Nov 1997 -  3 Jan 2000  Ibrahim Hassane Mayaki             (b. 1951)            UNRID
 3 Jan 2000 -  7 Jun 2007  Hama Amadou (2nd time)             (s.a.)               MNSD
 7 Jun 2007 -              Seyni Oumarou                      (b. 1950)            MNSD

Territorial Disputes: Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries.

Party abbreviations: CDS = Convention Démocratique et Sociale (Democratic and Social Convention, centrist); MNSD = Mouvement National de la Société de Développement (National Movment for the Development of Society -only legal party 1989-90); PNDS = Parti Nigerino por la Democratique et Sociale (Niger Democratic Socialist Party); Mil = Military;
- Former parties: PPN = Parti Progressista Nigeriano (Nigerian Progressive Party -only legal party 1960-74); UNIRD = Union Nationale des Independants pour la Renoveau Democratique (National Independents Union for Democratic Renewal, authoritarian)





©2000  Ben Cahoon