Conventional Long Form of country: Republic of Niger
Capital City: Niamey
Type of Government:Republic
Date of Independence:August 3, 1960
National Holidays: Republic Day(December 18)- commemorates the founding of the Republic of Niger which predated independence from France
Description of Executive Branch/Powers:37-member Cabinet appointed by the president. President elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); candidate must receive a majority of the votes to be elected president
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers:unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers:Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges) and the High Court of Justice (consists of 7 member) are the highest court. Constitutional Court judges nominated/elected - 1 by the president of the Republic, 1 by the president of the National Assembly, 2 by peer judges, 2 by peer lawyers, 1 law professor by peers, and 1 from within Nigerien society; all appointed by the president; judges serve 6-year nonrenewable terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years; High Judicial Court members selected from among the legislature and judiciary; members serve 5-year term
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Name of Ambassador to the U.S.: Ambassador Maman Sambo Sidikou
Location of Embassy in the U.S.:2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location of consulates in the U.S.: NA
Name of U.S. Ambassador to them: Charge d'Affaires Richard Bell
Location of U.S. embassy there: BP 11201, Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
Description of the Symbolism of the flag:white stands for purity and innocence; green symbolizes hope and the fertile and productive southern and western areas, as well as the Niger River; the orange disc represents the sun and the sacrifices made by the people
National Symbols: NA
Description of Internal Disputes:Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty that also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries; the dispute with Burkina Faso was referred to the ICJ in 2010
Quantity of refugees inside country:49,770(Mali); 10,044(Nigeria)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons:undetermined