'''Niger''' or '''the Niger''' ( or ; ), officially the '''Republic of the Niger''', (, Zarma-Songhai: , ) is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. Niger is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers a land area of almost , making it the second-largest landlocked country in West Africa (behind Chad). Over 80% of its land area lies in the Sahara Desert. The country's predominantly Muslim population of about  million live mostly in clusters in the far south and west of the country. The capital and largest city is Niamey, located in Niger's southwest corner.