- Not to be confused with the neighbouring country of: Niger, Niger State in Nigeria, the River Niger or the banned American Anti-Black racial slur that uses an additional 'g' in it and removes the 'a' from it.
Overview[]
The Federal Republic of Nigeria, commonly referred to as Nigeria (/naɪˈdʒɪəriə/ ny-JEER-ee-ə), is a West Africa federal republic in West Africa, bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja is located. Nigeria is officially a democratic secular country.
Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population and economy. It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi), and with a population of over 225 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's 6th most populous country. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world. The country is viewed as a multinational state, as it is inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; these ethnic groups speak over 500 different languages and are identified with wide variety of cultures. The official language is English. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims in the northern part. A minority of the population practises religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba peoples.
Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Nigeria is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in Africa.
History[]
Modern-day Nigeria has been the site of numerous kingdoms and tribal states over the millennia. British colonial influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century, like the Yoruban Oyo Empire (Orílẹ̀ Ọ̀yọ́ in Yoruba) of c. 1300 to 1896, the Nupe Bida Emirate of 1531 to 1901, the Fula Bauchi Emirate of 1805 to 1904 and the Kanuri Bornu Empire of the 1380s to 1893. The modern state originated from British colonial rule beginning in the 19th century, and the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. The sepratist Biafra War lasted from 1967 to 1970.
The British set up administrative and legal structures whilst practising indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms. Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1960, and plunged into a civil war from 1967 to 1970. It has since alternated between democratically elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, until it achieved a stable democracy in 1999, with the 2011 presidential elections considered the first to be reasonably free and fair.
Kenule Beeson "Ken" Saro-Wiwa (10 October 1941 – 10 November 1995) was a Nigerian writer, television producer, and environmental activist. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria, whose homeland, Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta, has been targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping. He was murdered in 1995.
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalising democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history. In January 2010, Nigeria assumed a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.
Ethic groups and languages[]
Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. The Nigerian Civil War, commonly known as the Biafran War, was a war fought between the unionist government of Nigeria and the separatist forces of secessionist state of Biafra from 6th July, 1967 to 15th January, 1970.
Economy[]
As of 2015, Nigeria is the world's 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively. It is the second-largest economy in Africa, after South Africa. The 2013 debt-to-GDP ratio was 11 percent. Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank; it has been identified as a regional power on the African continent, a middle power in international affairs, and has also been identified as an emerging global power. Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globe's next "BRIC-like" economies. It is also listed among the "Next Eleven" economies set to become among the biggest in the world. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organisations, including ECOWAS, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and OPEC.
Hydrocarbons[]
Statistics as at February 2021 shows that the Nigerian oil sector contributes to about 9% of the entire GDP of the nation. Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa, a major exporter of crude oil and petroleum products to the United States of America. In 2010, Nigeria exported over one million barrels per day to the United States of America, representing 9% of the U.S. total crude oil and petroleum products imports and over 40% of Nigeria exports. Oil and natral gas are mostly found in the Niger Delta and along the coast.
The need for holistic reforms in the petroleum industry, ease of doing business, and encouragement of local contents in the industry birthed the Petroleum Industry Bill by the Goodluck Jonathan administration on July 18, 2008.
Agriculture[]
Over eighty percent (80%) of the inhabitants of Sokoto practice one form of agriculture or another. They produce such crops as millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, potatoes, cassava, groundnuts and beans for subsistence and produce wheat, cotton and vegetables for cash. Local crafts such as blacksmithing, weaving, dyeing, carving and leather works also play an important role in the economic life of the people of Sokoto; as a result, different areas like Makera, Marina, Takalmawa and Majema became important. Sokoto is also one of the fish producing areas of the country. Thus, a large number of people along the river basin engage in fishing as well.
Sokoto ranks second in livestock production in the country's animal population of well over 8,000,000.
Benue State is the nation's acclaimed food basket because of its rich agricultural produce which include Yam, Rice, Beans, Cassava, Sweet-potato, Maize, Soybean, Sorghum, Millet, Sesame, cocoyam etc. The state accounts for over 70% of Nigeria's Soybean production.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, engaging over 75% of the state farming population. The State also boasts of one of the longest stretches of river systems in the country with great potential for a viable fishing industry, dry season farming through irrigation and for an inland water highway.
Mineral resources[]
- Petroleum
- Natural Gas
- Coal
- Bitumen
- Iron
- Talc
- Gypsum
- Bentonite
- Baryte
- Gold
- Rock Salt
- sapphire
- ruby
- aquamarine
- emerald
- tourmaline
- topaz
- garnet
- amethyst
- zircon
- fluorspar
- Kaolin
- Limestone
- Cotton pasture
- cattle pasture
- Cassiterite
- Shade clay
- Marble
- Soda Ash
- Tin
- Bismuth
- Columbite
- Fluorspar
- Glass Sand
- Dolomite
- Magnesite
- Led
- Zinc
- Barite
- Lignite
- Limestone
- Manganese
- Mica
- Tantalite
- Uranium
Infrastructure problems[]
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Nucliar power and weapons[]
In 2017 agreements were signed for the construction of the Itu nuclear power plant. In 2017, Nigeria signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Civil wars[]
Communal conflicts in Nigeria can be divided into two broad categories:
- Ethno-religious conflicts, attributed to actors primarily divided by cultural, ethnic, or religious communities and identities, such as instances of religious violence between Christian and Muslim communities.
- Herder–farmer conflicts, typically involving disputes over land and/or cattle between herders (in particular the Fulani and Hausa) and farmers (in particular the Adara, Berom, Tiv and Tarok).
The Biafra War lasted from 1967 to 1970.
The most impacted states are those of the Nigerian Middle Belt like Benue, Taraba and Plateau. Violence has reached two peaks in 2004 and 2011 with around 2,000 fatalities those years. It resulted in more than 700 fatalities in 2015 alone.
Environment[]
The Nigerian lowland forests is a tropical moist forest eco-region in southwestern Nigeria and south-eastern Benin. The eco-region is densely populated, and home to several large cities including Lagos, Ibadan, and Benin City. There is still significant tree cover, but the remaining enclaves of forest are increasingly fragmented. The eco-region is wetter along the coast and drier inland, resulting in bands of vegetation zones that run parallel to the coast for the 400 km length of the region.
The Sahel part of Africa includes – from west to east – parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African Republic, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia . There are frequent shortages of food and water due to the dry harsh climate. This is exacerbated by the population increasing rapidly due to very high birth rates across the region; Niger has the world's highest fertility rate. Jihadist insurgent groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State and al-Qaeda frequently carry out major attacks across the region.
The vegetation inf the southern parts of Benue State is characterised by forests, which yield trees for timber and provide a suitable habitat for rare animals types and species. The state thus possesses potential for the development of viable forest and wildlife reserves.
The coastline is full of swamps and minor rivers and the River Niger cuts through the country. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded by the Nile and the Congo River. Its main tributary is the Benue River.
Deforestation and the shrinkage of Lake Chad are both taking their toll on the environment and farming in the north of Nigeria.
Also see[]
- Biafra
- ECOWAS
- Oyotunji
- Biafra War
- Lagos Airport
- Abuja Airport
- Dominion of Nigeria
- Federation of Nigeria
- Federal Republic of Nigeria
- Port Harcourt NAF Base
- Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98
- The probable 1981 nuking pattern for the Nigeria
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