Niger, a former French colony, is a landlocked western African country in the Sahara region. It is bordered the the north-east by Libya, to the east by Chad, to the south by Nigeria and Benin, the west by Burkina Faso and Mali and the north west by Algeria.

Mainly semi-arid, over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert, the only fertile area being in the Niger River basin.

Travelers come to see the sparkling Niger River, number of national parks, which are a haven for lions, elephants, leopards and, baboons as well as Niger’s ancient cities, many mosques, and see the nomadic culture and festivals, of the local people.