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About
Nigeria Excerpts from Nigeria
Govenment Website In 1914 the Protectorates of
Southern and Northern Nigeria were amalgamated with
the Colony (Lagos) by Lord Lugard to form what is
now known as Nigeria. The People Nigeria is famous for her
huge population of about 140 million people - the
largest national population on the African
continent and the largest group of people on
earth. This population is made up of about 250 pure
ethnic groups. Three of them the Hausa, Igbo and
Yoruba are the major groups and constitute over 40
per cent of the population. In fact, about 10
ethnic/ linguistic groups constitute more than 80%
of the population: the other large groups are Tiv,
Ibibio, Ijaw, Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, Igala, Jukun,
Idoma, Fulani, Itsekiri, Edo , Urhobo and Ijaw. The
last census in 1991 indicates a population of that
is 51% male and 49% female. Geography Nigeria is situated in the
West African sub region and lies between longitudes
30 and 140 and latitudes 40 and 140. It has a
landmass of 923,768 sq. km. It is bordered to the
north by the Republics of Niger and Chad and to the
west with the Republic of Benin. It shares the
eastern borders with the Republic of Cameroon right
down to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean forming
the southern limits of the Nigerian Territory .
About 800km of coastline confers on the country the
potentials of a maritime power. Arable land is in
abundance in Nigeria for agricultural, industrial
and commercial activities. Forest and woodland are to be
found mainly in the southern part of the country,
which is affected by seasonal rains from the
Atlantic that occur from April to October. As one
progresses northward the country becomes drier and
the vegetation more savannah in type. The Northern
part of the country forms part of the semi-arid
sahel region on the fringes of the Sahara the
world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in
northern Africa Nigeria is divided roughly in
three by the rivers Niger and Benue, which flow
through the country from north-east and north-west
to meet roughly in the centre of the country near
the new capital Abuja. From here the united rivers
flow south to the sea at the Niger delta
area. Climate Although Nigeria is wholly
within the tropics, its climate varies from the
tropical at the coast to sub-tropical further
inland. There are two marked seasons: The rainy
season lasting from April to October and the dry
season from November to March. The maximum
temperature in the coastal areas of the south can
go up to 37°c while the absolute minimum
temperature is 10°. The climate is drier
further north where extremes of temperature range
from 45° to 06° are common. Language The official language is
English. There are 3 main indigenous languages
spoken by the 3 predominant ethnic groups in
Nigeria. These are Yorubas in the west,
Hausa-Fulani in the North and the Igbos in the
East. There is also the "broken
English" (Pidgin English) spoken and understood by
almost all Nigerians. It is an admixture of the
English Language and several indigenous Nigerian
Languages. There also exist other ethnic groups'
languages such as Efik, Ijaw, and Kanuri languages
and over 374 dialects within the ethnic
groups. The
Resources Nigeria , in addition to her
huge population, is endowed with significant
agricultural, mineral, marine and forest resources.
Her multiple vegetation zones, plentiful rain,
surface and underground water resources and
moderate climatic extremes, allow for production of
diverse food and cash crops. Over 60 per cent of
the population is involved in the production of the
food crops such as cassava, maize, rice, yams,
various beans and legumes, soya, sorghum, ginger,
onions, tomatoes, melons and vegetable. The main
cash crops are cocoa, cotton, groundnuts, oil palm
and rubber. Extractions from these for export and
local industrial use include cocoa flour and
butter, rubber crumb, vegetable oil, cotton fibre
and yarn. The rain forests have been well exploited
for timber and wood products of exotic and popular
species. Oil and Gas, by value, are
the most important minerals. They are exploited and
produced in the Niger Delta basin and offshore on
the continental shelf and in the deep-sea of the
territorial waters. Nevertheless, there are
significant non-oil mineral deposits on land many
of which have been identified and evaluated: coal,
bitumen, iron ore, gypsum, kaolin, phosphates,
limestone, marble, columbite, baryte and
gold. The Nigerian
Currency The currency is expressed in
Naira (N) and kobo (K). 100K equal One Naira (N1).
The currency denominations are in N5, N10, N20,
N50, N100, N200, N500 and N1000. |
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