Country Nigeria | Introduction | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Geography | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon |
| Geographic coordinates: | 10 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly more than twice the size of California |
| Land boundaries: | total: 4,047 km border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km |
| Coastline: | 853 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate: | varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north |
| Terrain: | southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m |
| Natural resources: | natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land |
| Land use: | arable land: 33.02% permanent crops: 3.14% other: 63.84% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 2,820 sq km (2003) |
| Total renewable water resources: | 286.2 cu km (2003) |
| Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | Total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%) Per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000) |
| Natural hazards: | periodic droughts; flooding |
| Environment - current issues: | soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea |
| People | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Population: | 135,031,164 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.2% (male 28,726,380/female 28,301,729) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 37,543,678/female 36,277,038) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 1,987,521/female 2,194,818) (2007 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.7 years male: 18.8 years female: 18.6 years (2007 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.379% (2007 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 40.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death rate: | 16.68 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.015 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.035 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.906 male(s)/female total population: 1.022 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 95.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 88.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 47.44 years male: 46.83 years female: 48.07 years (2007 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.45 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 5.4% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 3.6 million (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 310,000 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever note: highly pathogenic H5N1? avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007) |
| Nationality: | noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian |
| Ethnic groups: | Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% |
| Religions: | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% |
| Languages: | English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68% male: 75.7% female: 60.6% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria |
| Government type: | federal republic |
| Capital: | name: Abuja geographic coordinates: 9 12 N, 7 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara |
| Independence: | 1 October 1960 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960) |
| Constitution: | new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999 |
| Legal system: | based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007) cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president; percent of vote - official results not yet posted as of September 2007 |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats, 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011); House of Representatives - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - official results not yet posted as of May 2007; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - official results not yet posted as of May 2007 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Accord Party [Ikra Aliyu BILBIS]; Action Congress or AC [Bisi AKANDE]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic People's Party or DPP [Jeremiah USENI]; Fresh Democratic Party [Chris OKOTIE]; Labor Party [Dan NWANYANWU]; Movement for the Restoration and Defense of Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo JIMETA]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Progressive Alliance [disputed leadership]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Mallam Selah JAMBO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB? , AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Professor (vacant) chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Ambassador Robin SANDERS embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205 FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353 |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green |
| Economy | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Communications | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Transportation | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Military | Nigeria | Top of Page |
| Transnational Issues | Nigeria | Top of Page |
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