Nigerian flag
Basic facts of NigeriaOfficial name: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Capital: Abuja
Area: 923,768 sq km, 356,669 sq mi
Population: 138,283,240 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.38 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 152 persons per sq km, 393 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 48 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 52 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Lagos, Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Kano
Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulfulde, other indigenous languages
Religious affiliations:
Muslim 50 percent
Christian 40 percent
Indigenous beliefs 10 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 47.8 years (2008 estimate)
Female 48.5 years (2008 estimate)
Male 47.1 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 70.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 63.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 77.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Form of government: Federal Republic
Total number of military personnel 78,500 (2004)
Introduction:
Nigeria, republic in western Africa, with a coast along the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Guinea. Most of Nigeria consists of a low plateau cut by rivers, especially the Niger and its largest tributary, the Benue. The country takes its name from its chief river. Until 1991, the capital was the largest city, Lagos, on the southwestern coast; at that time, the city of Abuja, in the country’s interior, became capital.
Nigeria is by far the most populated of Africa’s countries, with more than one-seventh of the continent’s people. The people belong to many different ethnic groups. These groups give the country a rich culture, but they also pose major challenges to nation building. Ethnic strife has plagued Nigeria since it gained independence in 1960.
Central Mosque, Abuja
Abuja, which replaced Lagos as the capital of Nigeria in 1991, is a new city, built starting in the early 1980s. The Central Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed.
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, is located on the Gulf of Guinea. It occupies Lagos Island, Ikoyi Island, and Victoria Island, as well as a large area on the mainland, all connected by a series of bridges and freeways.
Great Mosque at Kano
The Great Mosque at Kano in Nigeria towers above the walls of the old city. Islam is the dominant religion in the northern part of Nigeria. Many of the nation’s Muslims combine the basic practices of Islam with traditional native beliefs.
Nigerian Girl Reading the Qur'an
A young girl reads passages from the Qur'an (Koran) on a wooden board at a Qur'anic school in Ibadan, in southwestern Nigeria. Religious schools historically provided the impetus for education in Nigeria. The government made universal primary education its policy in the 1970s.