Nigeria is a Federal republic in West Africa. It is bordered by Niger on the north, Chad on the northeast, Cameroon on the southeast, the Gulf of Guinea on the southwest, and Benin on the west.
The total land area of Nigeria is 923,768 square kilometers, slightly more than twice the size of California.
The capital of Nigeria is Abuja.
The climate of the country varies. It is equatorial in the south, tropical in the center, and arid in the north. The Niger River flows from the northwest corner of the country south through tropical rain forests and swamps to a delta in the Gulf of Guinea. Lake Chad is located to the northeast.
Nigeria has the largest population of any country in Africa, with 135,031,164 inhabitants representing more than 250 ethnic groups. Languages are English (the official language), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Fulani.
Religions are Islam (50 percent), Christianity (40 percent), and traditional African religions (10 percent).
Oil is a major resource. Minerals, agricultural crops such as cocoa, cotton and peanuts, rubber, hides and skins, textiles, construction materials, and ship construction are other industries.
The known history of Nigeria began with Arab writings in the 9th century AD. The Hausa city states lasted from 100 to 1200 AD. The kingdoms of Ife, Benin, and Oyo, located in the southern forests reached their peak in the 14th century AD. Nigeria was colonized in turn by the Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish. It was a British colony in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The slave trade was practiced by the European powers in Nigeria from the 14th century until 1807 when it was abolished by the British Empire. Since its independence from Great Britain in 1960 the country has been a republic, troubled by corruption and political instability. Ethnic and religious differences exacerbate the situation.
AIDS has been a major problem, as have drug trafficking and money laundering. The international community has donated a significant amount of foreign aid in recent years.
Nigeria has a rich cultural life. Famous authors from Nigeria include Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. In art, wood carving, the Benin bronzes, and weaving are famous.
Web Sites
- CIA: The World Factbook
- The African Studies Center of the University of Pennsylvania
- Norwegian Council for Africa
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Nigeria.
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