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Niger: Niger River
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Niger is a landlocked, arid nation. It is surrounded by Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Eighty percent of the country is desert, the northern borders stretching to the middle regions of the Sahara Desert. The heat can be so intense that rain frequently evaporates before it reaches the ground. The remaining 20% along the southern border is made up of dry to semi-fertile savannah (grassland). There are small-scale gardens along the banks of the Niger River in the southwest.
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Niger is a country in western Africa. The capital is Niamey, and the official language is French. It is surrounded by Algeria and Libya to the north, Chad to the east, Nigeria and Benin to the south, and Burkina Faso and Mali to the west. Niger is landlocked, meaning it has no coastline. Niger shares a name with an African river. The Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire both had land in what is now Niger.
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The Scottish explorer, Mungo Park, who was killed on the Niger River in 1806, made the first recorded European contact with Niger. The British followed up his exploration in the ensuing years, seeking to learn more about this vast unknown region and to develop trade with African states. In 1890, France began its first military foray into the area. By 1899, she had begun the process of colonization. After much bloodshed, Niger became a French colony in 1921.
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Niger is seeking international and multilateral donors to help in the construction of the Kandadji hydroelectric project. Kandadji, first conceived in the mid-1970's, would be located on the Niger River approximately 120 miles (200 km) upstream of Niamey. The 165-MW facility (originally proposed to be 230 MW) is expected to cost $270 million. The government of Niger hopes to begin construction in 2004 and complete it by 2012. Smaller dams on the Niger River at Gambou (122 MW) and Dyodyonga (26 MW) have been considered.
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Niger may be divided into three zones, the northern, central, and southern. The northern zone, covering more than half of the total area of the republic, lies within the Sahara. It is a highland region of plateaus and mountains and, except in scattered oases, has little vegetation. In this zone is Monts Bagzane (2,022 m/6,634 ft), the highest elevation in the country. The central zone, known as the Sahel, is semiarid and lightly wooded. The southern zone is a fertile, forested area that benefits from adequate rainfall and, in the southwest, from the periodic overflow of the Niger River, virtually the only river in the country.
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For decades, the oil-rich delta of the Niger river has been plundered by western companies and rampant political corruption. But now a small group of ruthless Ijaw tribesmen are threatening to sabotage production unless their demands for compensation are met.
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Niger River