More people live in Nigeria than in any other African nation. It is a country of great diversity, with more than 250 ethnic groups and languages. Nigeria is also rich in oil and natural gas. Abuja is the capital.
Nigeria lies on the southern coast of western Africa. It is bordered to the north by Niger and to the northeast by Chad. Cameroon is to the east, and Benin is to the west. The Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean, lies to the south. Nigeria occupies an area of about 356,669 square miles (923,768 square kilometers). The largest cities include Lagos, Ibadan, and Kano.
Nigeria is a physically diverse country. In general, the landscape consists of plains in the north and south and plateaus and hills in the center. Nigeria has two major rivers, the Niger and the Benue. Lake Chad lies across the country's northeastern border. It is one of the few large, permanent standing bodies of water in the country. In central Nigeria is an area called the Jos Plateau. It contains several volcanoes that are no longer active.
Nigeria's coast is lined with freshwater swamps and mangrove trees. The southwest is hot and wet for most of the year. As a result, tropical rain forests grow there. In the center of the country are tropical woodlands and open grasslands. In the north it is generally drier. This produces a more open area with short grasses. There are also scattered trees that do not reach full height because they do not receive enough rain. The far north has almost no plant life.
Many animals once lived in the grasslands and forests. They included antelopes, giraffes, hyenas, lions, leopards, and elephants. There were also monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. However, the human population has grown rapidly. Many forests where the animals lived have been destroyed by humans. Most of these animals can now be found only in protected places, such as the Yankari, the Gashaka Gumpti, and the Cross River national parks.
The country's snakes include the black cobra, green mamba, giant viper, and python. The rivers contain crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and a great variety of fish. Ostriches and storks live in the grasslands. Parrots, hornbills, toucans, and many other birds live in the forests.
Nigeria is also the home of many insects. The tsetse fly and the mosquito cause the most trouble. Both insects carry microscopic organisms that can cause serious diseases.
There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Each has its own customs, traditions, and language. More people speak Hausa than any other language. English is the language of government. The four largest groups are the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), and Fulani. About two fifths of the people are Muslim, and about a third are Christian. Most of the rest follow their group's traditional religion.
The many different ethnic groups in Nigeria have created a rich and varied culture. Music and dance are very important. Each ethnic group has its own forms. Nigerian contemporary music combines Western popular music and traditional Nigerian styles. Well-known recording artists include King Sunny Ade and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Nigerian literature is known throughout the world. Nigeria's Wole Soyinka won the Nobel prize for literature in 1986. He was the first black African to receive the award. The Igbo novelist Chinua Achebe writes about the conflicts between Western customs and traditional African values.
The Nigerian economy is based largely on petroleum and agriculture. The farms generally produce enough meat products to meet the country's needs. The main crops include sorghum, yams, millet, cassava, corn, taro, peanuts, and rice. However, the population has grown faster than the production of these crops. As a result, Nigeria must buy much of its food from other countries. Among the only agricultural products that Nigeria sells to other countries are cocoa beans and rubber. Forestry and fishing are also important activities.
Nigeria is the largest producer of petroleum in Africa. There are large quantities of oil and natural gas in the region around the mouth of the Niger River. Nigeria also mines coal, tin, and columbite (a mineral that contains iron, manganese, and niobium).
Most of the country's manufacturing companies are small. Many produce cloth or process foods. Other Nigerian factories make cement, footwear, beer, and plywood.
There is evidence that people have lived in Nigeria for thousands of years. The Noks lived in the Jos Plateau region from about 500 BC to about AD 200. By the end of the 11th century, many groups lived in the area. The Yoruba settled in the west, the Hausa and Fulani in the north, and the Igbo in the southeast. Many kingdoms and empires rose and fell.
The first Europeans to reach the Nigerian coast were the Portuguese in 1472. By the 17th century, British slave ships were visiting the coast. Nigeria had the most important ports for the slave trade for some 200 years. Millions of Nigerians were captured and sent to the New World. The British made the slave trade illegal in 1807, though other nations continued the trade.
Britain occupied Lagos in 1861. By about 1900 the British had taken control of most of the region. In 1914 Britain created a single colony out of what had been many separate, independent states.
The Nigerian people protested colonial rule. Britain struggled to keep the colony under its control. From the mid-1950s, the Nigerians were granted greater political rights. In 1960 Nigeria became an independent nation.
Independence did not bring peaceful times. Instead, regional groups within the country fought with each other for power. The military took over the government in 1966, and a civil war broke out in 1967. The fighting continued until 1970. A series of different military groups controlled Nigeria for most of the rest of the 20th century.
Democratic elections for a new government were held in 1999. General Olusegun Obasanjo, an army officer, became Nigeria's president. However, the unrest in Nigeria continued. Population (2001 estimate), 126,636,000.
