Geography of Niger
Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa located along the border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. Its geographic coordinates are longitude 16°N and latitude 8°E. == Area == Total: 1,267,000 km2 (489,191 sq mi) country rank in the world: 21st Land: 1,266,700 km2 (489,076 sq mi) Water: 300 km2 (116 sq mi) Area comparative Australia comparative: slightly smaller than the Northern Territory Canada comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Manitoba United States comparative: slightly more than three times the size of California EU comparative: approximately twice the size of France == Brief history == Niger, which attained independence from France in 1960 was under military rule until 1991.