Nigeria
Capital: Abuja · Western Africa
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south.
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Lake Chad as seen from Apollo 7.
Photo: NASA, Public domain · source
The heighest point on Obudu Mountain approximately 1,600km above sea level with winds reaching over 30mph
Photo: Nnamdi Okechukwu, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Nigerian food at L and N Kitchen - pots holding different soups
Photo: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Did you know?
Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo together constituting over 60% of the total population. The official language is English. Nigeria's constitution ensures freedom of religion. The country is divided roughly in half between Muslims and Christians; indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, are in the minority.
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Adire Market Week Main Stage
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students of the African Church Grammar School Mission on excursion to the Olumo Rock
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Etymology
The name Nigeria derives from the Niger River running through the country. This name was coined on 8 January 1897, by the British journalist Flora Shaw. The neighbouring Republic of Niger takes its name from the same river. The origin of the name Niger, which originally applied to only the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen ("river of rivers") used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu before 19th-century European colonialism.
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Point of No Return of Slave Trade, Badagry
Photo: Solasly, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Kainji Dam. The water flows from four openings.
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Abisogun Leigh Science Building, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University.
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History
Kainji Dam excavations showed ironworking by the 2nd century BC. The transition from Neolithic times to the Iron Age was accomplished without intermediate bronze production. Some have suggested the technology moved west from the Nile Valley. But the Iron Age in the Niger River valley and the forest region appears to predate the introduction of metallurgy in the upper savanna by more than 800 years, as well as predating it in the Nile Valley. More recent research suggests that iron metallurgy was developed independently in Africa.
The Nok civilisation thrived between 1500 BC and 200 AD.
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Thick layer of harmattan fog over the hills in coal camp, Enugu State. Shot on a google pixel 4xl.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Tote durch Anschläge von Boko Haram, 2011 bis 2022 (Stand Oktober 2022)
Photo: FrankvEck, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Geography
Nigeria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and has a total area of 923,768 km2 (356,669 mi2), making it the world's 31st-largest country. Its borders span 4,047 kilometres (2,515 mi), and it shares borders with Benin (773 km or 480 mi), Niger (1,497 km or 930 mi), Chad (87 km or 54 mi), and Cameroon (including the separatist Ambazonia) 1,690 km or 1,050 mi. Its coastline is at least 853 km (530 mi). Nigeria lies between latitudes 4° and 14°N, and longitudes 2° and 15°E. The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 ft).
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Гол Рохо в концовке выводит Аргентину в плей-офф чемпионата мира
Photo: Кирилл Венедиктов, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Arik Air A340-500 landing at London Heathrow
Photo: Biggerben, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Politics
Nigeria is a federal republic modelled after the United States, with 36 states and the capital Abuja as an independent unit. The executive power is exercised by the President. The president is both head of state and head of the federal government. The president is elected by popular vote to a maximum of two four-year terms. State governors, like the president, are elected for four years and may serve a maximum of two terms. The president's power is limited by a Senate and a House of Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called the National Assembly.
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Economy
Nigeria's economy is the third largest in Africa, the 46th-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and 19th-largest by PPP. As of 2023, Nigeria's economy is classified as lower-middle-income. Before 1999, economic development was hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement. In the decades thereafter, the restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reforms led to rapid growth. In 2011, Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.
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Demographics
The United Nations estimates that the population of Nigeria in 2021 was at 213,401,323 distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre. Around 42.5% of the population were 14 years or younger, 19.6% were aged 15–24, 30.7% were aged 25–54, 4.0% were aged 55–64, and 3.1% were aged 65 years or older. The median age in 2017 was 18.4 years. Nigeria is the world's sixth-most populous country.
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Culture
Prior to European colonization, indigenous architectural styles across Nigeria adapted local climate conditions, available resources, and social structures through the use of sun-dried mud bricks (tubali), timber framing, and thatched roofing. In northern regions, traditional Hausa architecture was integrated into extensive walled urban centers accessed via fortified gatehouses.
Wikipedia: Nigeria – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0