Nigeria is a massive country of more than 120 million people comprising 250 ethnic groups speaking over 4,000 dialects. It is partitioned into 36 states. In size, Nigeria is 577,355 sq miles; that is more than two and half the size of California. You can view a map of the country. For a more detailed map of the country, see this.
Nigeria is bordered by the Republic of Benin to the West, Cameroon to the East, Niger and Chad in the North and the Gulf of Guinea to the South.
HistoryThe Federal Republic of Nigeria came into existence in 1914 when the British colonial government amalgamated the Lagos colony and the Northern and Southern Protectorates for administrative purposes. Previously, Nigeria consisted of four different empires: The Northern Empire, the Calabar Kingdom, the Oduduwa Empire and the Benin Empire.
Nigeria obtained independence from Britain on 1 October 1960 and a federal government was formed. In 1963 Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Political stability was short-lived, however. In 1966 a group of army officers killed the prime minister, overthrew the federal government and installed a centralised government. Later that year army officers again revolted against the government and General Yakubo Gowan became head of the new military government.
Regional and ethnic tension flared in the unstable political climate. In 1967 Nigeria was divided into 12 states and the massacres of Igbo peoples in the north led to the declaration of a separate Republic of Biafra. This declaration marked the beginning of a three-year civil war in which more than one million people died - mainly Biafrans.
The war ended in 1971 with surrender by the Republic of Biafra. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Nigeria saw a succession of military coups and governments. In 1975, General Yabuku Gowon was overthrown by General Murtula Muhammed, the number of states was increased to 19 and plans were drawn up for a new capital in Abuja, to replace Lagos. During the 1970s and 80s Nigeria's oil industry boomed, however, only a minority of Nigerians benefited. Most of the population struggled for daily existence, suffering prolonged droughts, inflation, high unemployment, official corruption and ethnic tension.
In 1983, the armed forces deposed the elected government of the National Party of Nigeria. There was strong support for the coup, as there was widespread opposition to state corruption. In 1985 General Babangida became the first military president and promised to restore democracy to Nigeria. Eventually, in 1993, Nigerians went to the polls. However, General Babangida annulled the election.
A political crisis ensued and General Sani Abacha seized power. Throughout his regime Abacha showed a flagrant disregard for human rights, freedom of speech and democracy.Thousands of people were detained, many fled the country, killings and human rights atrocities were widespread. Minority movements that attempted to secure control over their environments and oppose the government were brutally suppressed.
In 1993, 300,000 Ogoni people marched in protest at the money being made from their oil-rich lands, which were being exploited by the Anglo-Dutch consortium Shell. The march marked the start of a period of military terrorisation of the Ogonis. The plight of the Ogonis was brought to the world's attention in May 1994 when the environmentalist and writer Ken Saro Wiwa was arrested along with other Ogoni leaders on fraudulent charges. The world looked on in horror when in November 1995 Ken Sara Wiwa, along with eight Ogoni leaders, was executed.
Abacha died in June 1998 and General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the interim president.
FACT FILEOfficial Name: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Location: western Africa
Capital: Abuja
Official Language: English
Total Area: 923,770 sq km.
Population: 107 million
Life expectancy at birth: 54.65 years
Literacy: 57.1%
Primary religions: Muslim and Christian
Currency: the Naira
Natural Resources: petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal
Climate: Equatorial in the south, arid in the north and tropical in the centre.
Geographic Features: Coastal forests in the south, savanna in the north; 35.6% of the land is arable and 12.4% wooded.Nigeria is the only oil-rich country in sub-Saharan Africa: accounts for 95% of the country's export revenue. However, most of the population see little sign of the wealth: Nigeria has a 50% inflation rate and 40% unemployment.
NIGERIA
| Population: | 103,912,489 (July 1996 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 3.05% (1996 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 42.89 births/1,000 population (1996 est.) |
| Death rate: | 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | 72.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 6.24 children born/woman (1996 est.) |
| Languages: | English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani |
| Literacy: | age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 57.1% male: 67.3% female: 47.3% |
| Religions: | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% |
| Nationality: | noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian |
| GOVERNMENT | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria Data code: NI |
| Government type: | democratic civilian government (after a fifteen-year largely despotic military rule between December 31, 1983 and May 29, 1999. |
| National capital: | Abuja :on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos
to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of facilities in Abuja |
| Independence: | 1 October 1960 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 1 October (1960) |
| Legal system: | based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal law |
| Suffrage: | 21 years of age; universal |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court, judges appointed by the Armed Forces Ruling Council;
Federal Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green |
| ECONOMY | |
| GDP: | purchasing power parity - $135.9 billion (1995 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 2.6% (1995 est.) |
| GDP - per capita: | $1,300 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38% industry: 22% services: 40% (1994 est.) |
| Inflation rate - consumer
price index: |
57% (1994 est.) |
| Labor force: | 42.844 million
by occupation: agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 15% |
| Unemployment rate: | 28% (1992 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $2.7 billion
expenditures: $6.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (1994 est.) |
| Industries: | crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber,
wood,
hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel |
| Agriculture - products: | cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rubber, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava
(tapioca), yams; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; fishing and forest resources extensively exploited |
| Exports: | $9.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: oil 98%, cocoa, rubber partners: US 52%, EC 34% |
| Imports: | $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and animals partners: EC 50%, US 13%, Japan 7% |
| Debt - external: | $32.5 billion (1993) |
| Telephones: | 492,204 (1990 est.) |
| Telephone system: | average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and 20 domestic satellite earth stations carry intercity traffic international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 1 coaxial submarine cable |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 35, FM 17, shortwave 0 |
| Radios: | 20 million (1992 est.) |
| Televisions: | 3.8 million (1992 est.) |
| Railways: | total: 3,557 km (1995) |
| Highways: | total: 112,140 km |
| Waterways: | 8,575 km consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers
and
creeks |
| Pipelines: | crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km; natural gas 500 km |
| Merchant marine: | total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
387,552 GRT/636,578 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, oil tanker 12, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.) |
| Ports and harbors: | Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri |
| Illicit drugs: | passenger and cargo air hub for West Africa; facilitates movement of heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and North America; increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South America intended for West European, East Asian, and North American markets |
- Most details quoted from CIA World Factbook
An overview of Nigeria is also available.