Niger, with its population of around 15,000,000 is located in west Africa and shares borders with Nigeria and Benin to its south, Burkina Faso and Mali to its west, Algeria and Libya to its north and Chad to its east. Niger is a landlocked country with 80% covered by the Sahara desert ~ and increasingly so with encroaching desertification, and even the non desert areas of the country face habitual droughts and famines.

Niger is one of the hottest countries in the world and ninety per cent of the country's population live in the south where there is savannah suitable for animal rearing and pockets of arable land. Only the hardy Tuareg tend to live in the desert areas in the north.

The Niger River, after which the country is named, begins in south east Guinea, then runs through Mali, Niger itself and Nigeria finally ending its 2,600 mile journey as it flows into into the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Guinea. Niger also borders on Lake Chad to its south-east.

There are many images in Niger well worth exploring from the Aïr Mountains that reach a height of 6,376 ft on Mt. Gréboun, the thermal hot springs at Tafadek, the oasis towns of Timia and Iferouâne and, of course, the the Ténéré desert with its incredible dinosaur graveyards, and, if you're into history, the medieval settlements at Djado are all well worth a visit.

Niger has a subtropical climate which is characteristically hot and dry particularly in the arid regions however further south, in the rolling savannahs, the climate is more sub-tropical particularly around the Niger River basin. This is a short video showing images of Niger together with music from the area and gives a good look and feel of the country.