use: 13,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)

Telephone system: small system of wire, radiotelephone communications,
and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 5, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios: 680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 10 (plus seven low-power repeaters)
(1997)

Televisions: 125,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)

@Niger:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 10,100 km
paved: 798 km
unpaved: 9,302 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: the Niger is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the
Benin frontier from mid-December through March

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 27 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)

@Niger:Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Republican
Guard, National Police

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,137,181 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,155,054 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 105,884 (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20 million (FY96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY96)

@Niger:Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern
Niger; delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of
Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, has
been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and

______________________________________________________________________

NIUE

@Niue:Introduction

Background: Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic
differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest
of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The
population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in
1966 to 2,100 in 2000) with substantial emigration to New Zealand