Nigeria

Federal Republic of Nigeria

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Peace and Unity, Strength and Progress
Official language	English
Capital	Abuja
President	Olusegun Obasanjo
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 31st 923,768 km² 1.4%
Population  - Total  - Density	Ranked 9th 129,934,911 (July 2002 est.) 141/km²
Independence  - Date	From the United Kingdom October 1, 1960
Currency	Naira
Time zone	UTC +1
National anthem	Arise Oh Compatriots, Nigeria's Call Obey
Internet TLD	.NG
Calling Code	234

History

The Kanem-Bornu Empire near Lake Chad dominated northern Nigeria for over 600 years, prospering as a terminal of north-south trade between North African Berbers and forest people. In the early 19th century, Usman dan Fodio brought most areas in the north under the loose control of an Islamic empire centered in Sokoto.

The kingdoms of Oyo in the southwest, and Benin in the southeast both devoloped elaborate systems of political organization in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Ife and Benin are noted for their prized artistic works in ivory, wood, bronze, and brass.

In the 17th through 19th centuries, European traders established coastal ports for the increasing traffic in slaves destined for the Americas. Commodity trade replaced slave trade in the 19th century.

The Royal Niger Company was chartered by the British government in 1886. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901, and a colony in 1914. In response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism following World War II, the British moved the colony towards self-government on a federal basis.

Nigeria was granted full independence in 1960, as a federation of three regions, each retaining a substantial measure of self-government.

In 1966, two succesive coups by different groups of army officers brought the country under military rule. The leaders of the second coup tried to increase the power of the federal government, and replaced the regional governments with 12 state governments. The Igbos, the dominant ethnic group in the eastern region, declared independence as the Republic of Biafra in 1967, leading to a bloody civil war which ended with their defeat in 1970.

In 1975, a bloodless coup brought Murtala Ramat Mohammed to power, who promised a return to civilian rule. However, he was killed in an abortive coup, and succeeded by his chief of staff, Olusegun Obasanjo. A new constitution was drafted in 1977, and elections were held in 1979, which were won by Shehu Shagari.

Nigeria returned to military government in 1983, by a coup which established the Supreme Military Council as the country's new ruling body. After elections in 1993 which were canceled by the military government, General Sani Abacha took power. When he died suddenly in 1998 Abdulsalami Abubakar became leader of the SMC, now known as the Provisional Ruling Council. He lifted the suspension of the 1979 constitution, and in 1999, Nigeria elected Olusegun Obasanjo as President in its first elections in 16 years. Obsanjo and his party also won the turbulent elections of 2003.

Politics

Nigeria is a Federal Republic, comprising 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

States

Nigeria is divided into 36 states and 1 territory:

Abia Adamawa Akwa Ibom Anambra Bauchi Bayelsa Benue Borno Cross River Delta

Ebonyi Edo Ekiti Enugu Gombe Imo Jigawa Kaduna Kano

Katsina Kebbi Kogi Kwara Lagos Nassarawa Niger Ogun Ondo

Osun Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Taraba Yobe Zamfara Abuja Federal Capital Territory

Geography

Nigeria is located on the Gulf of Guinea. Its major cities are located in southern lowlands. The central part of the country contains hills and plateaus. The north consists of arid plains. Its neighboring countries are Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Forest and woodland occurs chiefly in the southern third of the country, which is affected by seasonal rains from the Atlantic which occur from June to September. As one progresses northward the country becomes drier and the vegetation more savannah in type. The northern third of the country forms part of the semi-arid sahel region on the fringes of the Sahara desert.

Nigeria is divided roughly in three by the rivers Niger and Benue, which flow through the country from north-east and north-west to meet roughly in the centre of the country near the new capital city of Abuja. From here the united rivers flow south to the sea at the Niger delta.

Cities

The principal cities of Nigeria are:

Abuja Abeokuta Badagri Benin Enugu

Ibadan Ife Ilorin Jos Kano

Kaduna Katsina Lagos Makurdi Maiduguri

Onitsha Oshogbo Oyo Port Harcourt Sokoto

Warri Yola Zaria

Economy

The oil-rich Nigerian economy, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management, is undergoing substantial economic reform under the new civilian administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has not kept up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food.

Demographics

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for approximately one-fifth of Africa's people. Although less than 25% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, at least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich diversity. The dominant ethnic group in the northern two-thirds of the country is the Hausa-Fulani, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim. Other major ethnic groups of the north are the Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri.

The Yoruba people are predominant in the southwest. Over half of the Yorubas are Christian and about a quarter are Muslim, with the remainder following mostly traditional beliefs. The predominantly Christian Igbo are the largest ethnic group in the southeast. Roman Catholics are the largest denomination, but Pentecostal and other Evangelical denominations are also strong. The Efik, Ibibio, and Ijaw (the country's fourth-largest ethnic group) communities also comprise a substantial segment of the population in that area. Persons of different language backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo are the most widely used Nigerian languages.

Culture

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
October 1	Independence Day

• Music of Nigeria

Miscellaneous topics

• Military of Nigeria
• Communications in Nigeria
• Transportation in Nigeria
• Foreign relations of Nigeria
• Nigerian money transfer fraud

External Links

Referenced By