Niger, home of the free flowing Niger River, is a Sub-Saharan, western African nation. Sadly, it is an extremely poor country because part of the country is desert and less than 3% open for crop use. The present economic situation is bleak at best. Yet, the vibrant tradition and history of this country lives today in its tribes and its people even through all of its adversities. From severe droughts to military coups to a dysfunctional government to the culture has stayed strong.
Niger has few natural resources and even less arable land it needs help from a lot of countries. Niger receives most of their imports from France; however, they do get much needed help from donations as sixty-four percent of Nigerians are in poverty. For example, used clothing is a big import they receive, along with medicines. With lots of diseases and one doctor for every 41,500 patients medicine is a coveted object. Other goods imported to Niger are rolled tobacco, radioactive chemicals, and petroleum products. Niger is a uranium rich country. Uranium is one of the heaviest natural occurring metal in the world. It is 18.7 times more dense than water. It is energy filled which is the reason why they use it in nuclear bombs. They also export cow peas and onions.
Niger is eighty-percent desert which doesn't provide natural resources or availability of water, even though the Niger River is a huge resource for Niger. With its beautiful, sparkling water flowing southwest in a sort of crescent shape it is a place of relief. Along this river, they have wonderful areas for farming and grazing and one can find the most populous city and the capitol Niger called Niamey. This Sub-Saharan country not only has the Sahara desert to deal with, but the Tener...
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Niger has faced persistent food insecurity for quite some time. Their increasing food crisis has only been worsened by their climate change, desertification, and population growth.
Economic ways started in the nineteenth century, still have a hold on the countries of the sub-Sahara today. These countries are all impoverished and have seen horrific civil wars, however, the general consensus is that they are making slow improvements in their economy. The starvation, overpopulation and health problems are still very evident. Perhaps continued assistance coupled with education and protection will keep them on the road to stability and more rewarding lives for their citizens.
Works Cited Attoh, Samuel Aryeetey, ed. Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. 3 rd. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. Book.
Niger is located in Western Africa, between Sahel and the Sahara. Since the Sahara covers sixty-six percent of the country, Niger is one of the driest countries in the world. On the hottest months, from March to June, temperatures can reach up to 122 Fahrenheit. On the other hand, during the night time temperature can drastically drop to below freezing levels. Miles of sand dunes cover northern Niger, but vegetation is almost non-existent. The famous air mountains are located in central Niger. They cover 32,000 sq mi and help support the farming communities with their “berly-there” vegetation. Central Niger has semi-fertile land allowing oases and vegetation to live. Southern Niger, the most prominent to grassland and plants, is located in
The name of my country is the Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon, which is located in Central Africa, shares its border with the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Cameroon has an area of 183,568 square miles. Tennessee is 42,180 square miles which means Cameroon is roughly 4.35x the size of Tennessee or a little bigger than California which is 163,695 square miles. Cameroon has a diverse terrain with coastal plain in the southwest, dissected plateau in the center, mountains in the west, and plains in the north. It has been called “Africa in miniature” because of this diverse terrain. Cameroon’s highest point is Fako on Mt. Cameroon (4,095m), and its lowest point is at the Atlantic Ocean (0m). The percentage of arable land in Cameroon is 13.04% (“Africa: Cameroon”). Cameroon’s climate varies across the country. It is tropical along the coast and has little rain for parts of the year and is hot in the north (Africa: Cameroon”). The north has a single wet season and high temperatures. This wet season is from May to the end of September. The south has a moderate climate with fairly constant temperatures and two wet seasons with heavy, regular rains. These wet seasons include a short rainy season from March to June and the big rains come between August and September (“Cameroon Climate and Weather”).
Water is a resource that people use everyday, for everything. Whether it is brushing one’s teeth, drinking a glass of water, or watering one’s garden, they are using water to do so. In America, water is thought of as a commodity, but in Africa, water is a basic human right. Much of where the population density resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, there the same places where people need clean and decontaminated water the most. The question posed, “How can we further preserve and provide a freshwater supply for sustainable living in Sub-Saharan Africa?” serves as the base for the research put into this topic.
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
If Africa were a pistol, Nigeria will be the trigger. The country is strategically located on the western brink of the black Continent. Nigeria is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin Republic on the west and Cameroon on the east. The country’s location has been of immense benefits as it is an action point for the continent. It is also bounded by the Atlantic Ocean making it more accessible for importation and exportation.
Nigeria is the largest country in Africa with 1 out of every 5 Africans being Nigerian.(1) It has many oil reserves and extremely fertile land, yet for centuries it has failed to improve its horrendous economy. Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian activist who spent his life dedicated to globally improving Nigeria; his first book Things Fall Apart reflects his strong views on the west, Nigeria’s fight for independence, and the failings of its leaders. Chinua Achebe wrote over 30 books about Africa attempting to change the lack of understanding in the Western culture.
Nigeria is located on Africa’s western coast. It borders the Gulf of Guinea and the countries Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin. With a history that dates back to the fifth century B.C., Nigeria has many ancient cultures and pieces of art. Nigeria contains more historic cultures than any other African country or region (Africa: Nigeria; History World). After becoming independent in 1960, Nigeria is now Africa’s most populated country with large petroleum and oil industries (World Factbook: Nigeria).
The question to be answered in this paper is to what extent has the resource curse affected the Nigerian economy and government? Resource curse is a term that states the observation that countries that have a plethora of natural resources (e.g. oil, coal, diamonds etc.). usually have unstable political and economic structures (Sachs, 827). Nigeria is categorized as a nation that has succumbed to the resource curse as it has an abundance of, and an overdependence on, oil, and a decreasing gross domestic product (GDP) (Samuels, 321-322). Nigeria is known for its specialization and overdependence on oil and according to Ross, nations of such nature tend to have high levels of poverty, large class gaps, weak educational systems, more corruption within the government, and are less likely to become democracies (Ross, 356).
In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
According to the book, A History of Nigeria (2008), Nigeria is historically unique for three different reasons. First, it was found that there had been a high level of migration from the Northern part of Nigeria to the Southern part due to the Savanna. Second, humans within the regi...
While the outside world considered Nigeria to be a united and monolithic entity, even the British colonial administration was wary of the reality of Nigerian politics; the nation was not so much a “country” as it was more than three hundred different groups coalesced into one.4 5 These tribes were divided between three main spheres of influence: the Yoruba, the Igbo, and the Hausa. Historically, their interests were often opposed, and their cultures did not come into regular contact with one another until the British occupation. In spite of the differences British administration a...
The small African village located on the bank of the river Niger has a story of its own, that only the old and wise are able to des...