Editing Niger (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Niger}}
[[File:Ng-map.png|thumb|upright=1.15|A map of Niger]]
{{MapLibrary|Niger sat.png|Niger}}
Niger is a [[landlocked]] nation in West Africa located along the border between the [[Sahara]] and [[Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan]] regions. It borders [[Nigeria]] and [[Benin]] to the south, [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Mali]] to the west, [[Algeria]] and [[Libya]] to the north and [[Chad]] to the east.

Niger lies between latitudes [[11th parallel north|11°]] and [[24th parallel north|24°N]], and longitudes [[prime meridian|0°]] and [[16th meridian east|16°E]]. Its area is {{convert|1.267|e6km2|mi2|abbr=unit|0}} of which {{convert|300|km2|0}} is water. This makes it less than twice the size of [[France]], and the world's 21st-largest country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Africa :: Niger — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |website=cia.gov |access-date=1 September 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Niger borders seven countries and has a total perimeter of {{convert|5697|km|0}}. The longest border is with [[Nigeria]] to the south ({{cvt|1497|km|0|disp=or}}). This is followed by [[Chad]] to the east, at {{cvt|1175|km|0}}, [[Algeria]] to the north-north-west ({{cvt|956|km|0|disp=or}}), and [[Mali]] at {{cvt|821|km|0}}. Niger has borders in its further south-west with [[Burkina Faso]] at {{convert|628|km|0}} and [[Benin]] at {{cvt|266|km|0}} and to the north-north-east [[Libya]] at {{cvt|354|km|0}}.

The lowest point in Niger is the [[Niger River]], with an elevation of {{convert|200|m|0}}. The highest point is [[Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès]] in the [[Aïr Mountains]] at {{cvt|2022|m|0}}.

Niger's terrain is predominantly desert plains and [[sand dune]]s, with flat to rolling savanna in the south and hills in the north.

=== Climate ===
{{Further|Sahel drought}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map NER present.svg|thumb|Map of Köppen climate classification]]

The hotter and drier climate within [[desert]] areas causes more frequent fires in some regions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ramo|first1=Ruben|last2=Roteta|first2=Ekhi|last3=Bistinas|first3=Ioannis|last4=Wees|first4=Dave van|last5=Bastarrika|first5=Aitor|last6=Chuvieco|first6=Emilio|last7=Werf|first7=Guido R. van der|date=2021-03-02|title=African burned area and fire carbon emissions are strongly impacted by small fires undetected by coarse resolution satellite data|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=118|issue=9|doi=10.1073/pnas.2011160118|pmc=7936338|issn=0027-8424|pmid=33619088|bibcode=2021PNAS..11811160R |hdl=10810/50523 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In the south, there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin.

=== Biodiversity ===
{{Further|Wildlife of Niger}}
[[File:Elephant dust bath park w niger.jpg|thumb|An elephant in the [[W National Park]] ]]
The territory of Niger contains five terrestrial ecoregions: [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]], [[West Sudanian savanna]], [[Lake Chad flooded savanna]], [[South Saharan steppe and woodlands]], and [[West Saharan montane xeric woodlands]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The north is covered by deserts and semi-deserts. The typical mammal fauna consists of [[addax]] antelopes, [[scimitar-horned oryx]], gazelles, and in the mountains, Barbary sheep. The [[Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve]] was founded in the northern parts to protect these species.

The southern parts are naturally dominated savannahs. The [[W National Park]], situated in the bordering area to Burkina Faso and [[Benin]], belongs to "one of the most important areas" for wildlife in Western Africa, which is called the WAP (W–[[Arli National Park|Arli]]–[[Pendjari National Park|Pendjari]]) Complex. It has a population of the [[West African lion]] and one of the last populations of the [[Northwest African cheetah]].

Other wildlife includes elephants, buffaloes, [[roan antelopes]], [[Kob|kob antelopes]] and warthogs. The [[West African giraffe]] is found in the further north where it has its last relict population.

Environmental issues include destructive farming practices as a result of population pressure, illegal hunting, bush fires in some areas and human encroachment upon the flood plains of the Niger River for paddy cultivation. Dams constructed on the Niger River in the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea and within Niger are cited as a reason for a reduction of water flow in the Niger River—which has a direct effect upon the environment. A "lack of adequate staff" to guard wildlife in the parks and reserves is another factor cited for loss of wildlife.<ref name="Geels2006"/>

[[Farmer-managed natural regeneration]] is practiced since 1983 to increase food and timber production, and [[Resilience (ecology)|resilience]] to [[Extremes on Earth|climate extremes]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|date=2009-11-19|title=Regreening Africa|language=en-US|journal=The Nation|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/regreening-africa/|access-date=2021-11-26|issn=0027-8378|archive-date=26 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126115102/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/regreening-africa/|url-status=live}}</ref>