Niger

thumb|300px|right|The flag and national anthem of Niger.
Niger (pronounced /ˈnaɪdʒər/ or /niːˈʒɛər/; French pronunciation: [niʒɛʁ]), officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. 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. Its size is almost 1,270,000 km², making it the largest nation in West Africa, with a population of just under 13,300,000, mostly clustered in the far south and west of the nation. The capital city is Niamey.
==Religion in Niger==
Islam is the majority religion in Niger. Niger's people are 95% Sunni and Sufi with a much smaller Shia minority.
Most of the rest of the population follow traditional Afican beliefs, which are often combined with aspects of Islamic belief.
There is a small Christian minority, largely a legacy of missionary work from the time that Niger was a French colony. Less than 0.1% of the people of Niger are Buddhists.
The government of Niger recognises the importance of Islam to most of the population but the country is an officially secular state. Alcohol is readily available in Niger, few women wear the hijab and there are relatively few tensions between different religious groups.
==References==
*http://www.thedhamma.com/buddhists_in_the_world.htm
*The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
*http://www.thedhamma.com/
==External links==
* Wikipedia article about Niger.
* Wikitravel article about Niger.
Category:Buddhism by location
Category:Muslim-Majority Countries
Category:Religion in Africa