The Federal Republic
About Nigeria
A platform for everything Nigeria — its land and people, economy, culture and tourism.
The Land and People
The Giant of Africa.
Nigeria is located on the west coast of Africa and is the most populous nation on the continent — a country of more than 250 ethnic groups, with the largest economy in Africa and one of the greatest concentrations of cultural diversity in the world.
Its history goes back to 500 BC, when the Nok people inhabited the land. In 1914 the territories were amalgamated as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, and on 1 October 1960 Nigeria became an independent nation.
Fact File
Area
923,768 km²
The 14th largest country in Africa
Population
200M+
Africa's most populous nation (est.)
Capital
Abuja
Federal Capital Territory, at the centre of the country
Government
3 tiers
Federal · 36 States · 774 Local Government Areas
Official Language
English
Main indigenous languages: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba
Main Religions
3
Christianity, Islam, Traditional
Currency
Naira (₦)
Naira and Kobo — ₦1.00 = 100k
Coastline
~800 km
On the Gulf of Guinea, Atlantic Ocean
Geography
Nigeria sits on the west coast of Africa, between longitudes 3°–14° and latitudes 4°–14°. It is bordered by Niger and Chad to the north, Benin to the west, and Cameroon to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean forming its southern limits. At 923,768 km², Nigeria is more than one and a half times the size of Kenya.
Climate
Temperatures are relatively high year-round (22–36°C) across two seasons: the wet season (April–October) and the dry season (November–March). The dry season opens with the Harmattan — a dry, chilly, dusty spell carried by north-easterly winds off the Sahara — before the hottest months of February and March.
Vegetation
Two broad belts run in near-parallel bands east to west: Forests (saline and fresh-water swamps, then tropical evergreen rainforest) in the south, and Savanna (Guinea, Sudan and Sahel) northward — plus mountain vegetation on the high eastern plateaus of Jos, Mambilla and Obudu.
Resources
Over 60% of the population farms food crops — cassava, maize, rice, yams, beans and more — alongside cash crops of cocoa, cotton, groundnuts, oil palm and rubber. Oil and gas from the Niger Delta and offshore fields are the most valuable minerals, with major deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone, marble and gold.
Government
One federation, three tiers.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria consists of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, geographically at the middle of the country. Powers, revenue and responsibilities are shared between three tiers of government — the Federal Government, the State Governments, and 774 Local Government Administrations.
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