By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company had vastly succeeded in subjugating the independent southern kingdoms along the Niger River, the British conquered Benin in 1897, and, in the Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902), defeated other opponents. Nigeria is a country with a large population which is located in the continent/region of Africa. Nigeria's national football team, known as the "Super Eagles", has made the World Cup on Six occasions 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and most recently in 2018. [153] Following the oil price collapse in 2014–2016, combined with negative production shocks, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate dropped to 2.7% in 2015. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. 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British missionaries expanded their operations and traveled further inland. The ports and harbors located in Nigeria are shown on the map below. Dimka lacked widespread support among the military and his coup failed, forcing him to flee. The satellite constellation also conducted measurements of the atmospheric density 400 kilometres (250 mi) above the Earth. May 7, 2014— -- What Texas is to the United States, Nigeria is to Africa. [160], Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sovereign country in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Concord Press, Ikeja, Lagos. [276], In Nigeria, at least half a million suffer from vaginal fistula, largely as a result of lack of medical care. Other Nigerian writers and poets who are well known internationally include John Pepper Clark, Ben Okri, Cyprian Ekwensi, Buchi Emecheta, Helon Habila, T. M. Aluko, Isaac Delano, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Daniel O. Fagunwa, Femi Osofisan and Ken Saro Wiwa, who was executed in 1995 by the military regime. [249] The government has majority control of university education. There is a budding hip-hop movement in Nigeria. Under the Shari'a penal code that applies to Muslims in twelve northern states, offences such as alcohol consumption, homosexuality,[285] infidelity and theft carry harsh sentences, including amputation, lashing, stoning and long prison terms. [261], Between 2011 and 2018, Boko Haram has been responsible for more than 37,000 deaths in the region. [200][better source needed] Presently, Nigeria is the seventh most populous country in the world. The Nigerian film industry is known as Nollywood (a blend of Nigeria and Hollywood[293]) and is now the 2nd-largest producer of movies in the world after India's Bollywood. It produces Buses and SUVs. [259][260] In the 2010 Jos riots, more than 500 people were killed by religious violence. It was launched on 13 May 2007, aboard a Chinese Long March 3B carrier rocket, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. It is bordered by four countries. The territory controlled by the Empire included much of modern-day northern and central Nigeria. In April 1994, the Super Eagles ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ranking achieved by an African football team. In terms of Nigeria's major ethnic groups, the Hausa ethnic group (predominant in the north) was found to be 45% Muslim and 5% Christian, the Yoruba tribe (predominant in the west) was equally split between Christians and Muslims with 10% adherents of traditional religions, while the Igbos (predominant in the east) and the Ijaw (south) were 98% Christian, with 2% practicing traditional religions. The world bank states Nigeria has had a 7.4% economic growth in July, 2019 which has been their highest yet since the gross domestic product rate decreased to 2%. [82] Aware of the danger of alienating northern Nigerians, Obasanjo brought General Shehu Yar'Adua as his replacement and second-in-command as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters completing the military triumvirate, with Obasanjo as head of state and General Theophilus Danjuma as Chief of Army Staff, the three went on to re-establish control over the military regime and organized the military's transfer of power programme: states creation and national delimitation, local government reforms and the constitutional drafting committee of the Second Nigerian Republic.[83]. [270] Some of the more prolific slave trading kingdoms who participated in the transatlantic slave trade were linked with the Edo's Benin Empire in the south, Oyo Empire in the southwest, and the Aro Confederacy in the southeast. The following year, it chartered the Royal Niger Company under the leadership of Sir George Taubman Goldie. As in many other African societies, prebendalism and high rates of corruption continue to constitute major challenges to Nigeria. [102][103][104][105] In the 2019 presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected for a second term in office defeating his closet rival Atiku Abubakar. [280], Women also face a large amount of inequality Politically in Nigeria, being subjugated to a bias which is sexist and reinforced by socio-cultural, economic and oppressive ways. [108] There are three distinct systems of law in Nigeria: The Nigerian military is charged with protecting the Federal Republic of Nigeria, promoting Nigeria's global security interests, and supporting peacekeeping efforts, especially in West Africa. Soils in Nigeria, and in Africa generally, are usually of a poorer quality than those in other regions of the world. [161], The Niger Delta Nembe Creek Oil field was discovered in 1973 and produces from middle Miocene deltaic sandstone-shale in an anticline structural trap at a depth of 2 to 4 kilometres (7,000 to 13,000 feet). Legal. [77] The coup plotters wanted to replace Gowon's autocratic rule with a triumvirate of three brigadier generals whose decisions could be vetoed by a Supreme Military Council. Other places of interest include the Tafawa Balewa Square, Festac town, The Nike Art Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos and the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos. [125], Since 2000, Sino-Nigerian trade relations have risen exponentially. Rainfall is more limited, to between 500 and 1,500 millimetres (20 and 60 in) per year. On 1 January 1914, the British formally united the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Most Sufis follow the Qadiriyya, Tijaniyyah and/or the Mouride movements. In 1903, the British-victory in the Battle of Kano gave them a logistical edge in pacifying the heartland of the Sokoto Caliphate and parts of the former Bornu Empire. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Imbalances between North and South were expressed in Nigeria's political life as well. Muslim rioters in Kaduna killed an estimated 105 men, women, and children with a further 521 injured taken to hospital. In the 16th century, Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin significant, direct trade with peoples of Southern Nigeria, at the port they named Lagos and in Calabar along the region Slave Coast. [163], Nigeria has a total of 159 oil fields and 1,481 wells in operation according to the Department of Petroleum Resources. [252] Various Nigerian Confraternities or student "campus cults" are active in both organised crime and in political violence as well as providing a network of corruption within Nigeria. [186] On 10 November 2008 (0900 GMT), the satellite was reportedly switched off for analysis and to avoid a possible collision with other satellites. Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city. [229] In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Aladura Church, the Seventh-day Adventist and various indigenous churches have also experienced growth.[230][231]. The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 ft). The British force quickly won, sending Attahiru I and thousands of followers on a Mahdist hijra. Arrears and penalty interest accumulated on the unpaid principal, which increased the size of the debt. [16][17][18] It has the third-largest youth population in the world, after India and China, with nearly half its population under the age of eighteen. Nigeria: Continent : Africa: Where is Located: Nigeria is a country located in the West Africa: Coordinates : 7.6219° N, 6.9743° E: Capital : Abuja: Largest City : Lagos: Neighboring Countries Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger : Administrative divisions: 36 states and 1 territory: Area : 923,768 sq km: Population: 174507539 2013 estimate: Official Language : English: Currency On October 1, 1979, Shehu Shagari was sworn in as the first President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Nok civilization of Nigeria flourished between 1,500 BC and AD 200. Nigeria has been home to several indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms since the second millennium BC, with the Nok Civilization having been the first time the country had been unified internally in the 15th Century B.C. It has a huge population by the latest census report. Afan Music was invented and popularised by the Ewu-born poet and musician Umuobuarie Igberaese. In June 2015, Nigeria selected two sites for the planned construction of the nuclear plants. The attack on the city, which is located in central Nigeria, revealed that the group is extending its reach outside its stronghold in the north. This is one of the world's largest river deltas, and the location of a large area of Central African mangroves. Gently undulating plains, which become waterlogged during the rainy season, are found in these areas. Witnesses or anyone who helps gay couples marry will be sentenced to 10 years behind bars. [32][33][34] However, its Human Development Index ranks 158th in the world, and the country is classified as a lower middle-income economy, with a gross national income per capita between $1,026 and $3,986.[35]. After the 1970s oil boom, tertiary education was improved so it would reach every subregion of Nigeria. In 2016 during its first recession in 25 years, the economy contracted by 1.6%. Ports are color coded by size. The capital is Abuja. Car manufacturing (for the French car manufacturer Peugeot as well as for the English truck manufacturer Bedford, now a subsidiary of General Motors), T-shirts, plastics and processed food. There has been an increase in total trade of over 10,384 million dollars between the two nations from 2000 to 2016. [273] Submission of the wife to her husband and domestic violence are common. There the vegetation provides humus and protects it from erosion by heavy rainfall. The results though not officially declared by the National Electoral Commission – showed the duo of Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defeated Bashir Tofa and Slyvester Ugoh of the National Republican Convention (NRC) by over 2.3 million votes. Nigeria is classified as a mixed economy emerging market. [162] In June 2013, Shell announced a strategic review of its operations in Nigeria, hinting that assets could be divested. The two-party state had been a Political Bureau recommendation. Nigeria, or the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country located on the continent of Africa. Under a law signed in early 2014,[288] same-sex couples who marry face up to 14 years each in prison. (The country joined OPEC in 1971.) Haphazard industrial planning, increased urbanisation, poverty and lack of competence of the municipal government are seen as the major reasons for high levels of waste pollution in major cities of the country. [291] JuJu music, which is percussion music fused with traditional music from the Yoruba nation and made famous by King Sunny Adé, is from Nigeria. The country Nigeria is located on the continent of Africa. Nigerian Pidgin English, often known simply as "Pidgin" or "Broken" (Broken English), is also a popular lingua franca, though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang. The satellite transmitted songs and poems as an outreach project to generate Nigerian interest in science. In 1963, the nation established a Federal Republic, with Azikiwe as its first president. The British set up administrative and legal structures while practicing indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms. Construction has not begun but plans have not been canceled by 2016. Report[140] shows that high percentage of man-made forests in the country is dominated with exotic species. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}8°N 10°E / 8°N 10°E / 8; 10. Britain's West Africa Squadron sought to intercept the smugglers at sea. Its southern coast is on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. Having made their own plans to reduce this number, The Federal Republic of Nigeria has presented a plan to lower this number tremendously to the World Bank Group. The Sokoto Plains lie in the northwestern corner of the country, while the Borno Plains in the northeastern corner extend as far as the Lake Chad basin. a previously counted 61% of the population living in poverty in 2012. Under Britain's policy of indirect rule and validation of Islamic tradition, the Crown did not encourage the operation of Christian missions in the northern, Islamic part of the country. The Yoruba area contains a large Anglican population, while Igboland is a mix of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and a small population of Igbo Jews. Nigeria Tourism: Tripadvisor has 42,213 reviews of Nigeria Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Nigeria resource. While as of May 4, 2020 40% of Nigerians live in poverty, this number still shows the growth of the developing country, with a previously counted 61% of the population living in poverty in 2012. Will they return to Catholicism? The pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the Niger Delta Regions, predominantly in Warri, Sapele, Port Harcourt, Agenebode, Ewu, and Benin City. [164] The most productive region of the nation is the coastal Niger Delta Basin in the Niger Delta or "South-south" region which encompasses 78 of the 159 oil fields. [220], The 2010 census of Association of Religion Data Archives has also reported that 48.8% of the total population was Christian, slightly larger than the Muslim population of 43.4%, while 7.5% were members of other religions. NigeriaEduSat-1 was a satellite designed, built, and owned by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), in conjunction with Nigeria's National Space Research and Development Agency and Japan's Kyushu Institute of Technology. The coastal areas are drained by short rivers that flow into the Gulf of Guinea. River basin development projects have created many large man-made lakes, including Lake Kainji on the Niger and Lake Bakolori on the Rima River. [122] Nigeria is also a member of the International Criminal Court, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Nigeria has additionally founded regional cooperative efforts in West Africa, functioning as standard-bearer for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOMOG, economic and military organizations, respectively. Aside from plant invaders, Rattus rattus and Avian influenza virus were also considered IAS in Nigeria. North of this is fresh water swamp, containing different vegetation from the salt water swamp, and north of that is rainforest.[139]. Islam dominates North Western (Hausa, Fulani and others) and a good portion of Northern Eastern (Kanuri, Fulani and other groups) Nigeria. As with other transportation facilities, the airports suffer from a poor reputation for safety and operational efficiency. Located in the city, in the Three Arms Zone, is the Presidential Complex, it consists of the "State House" and "The Aso Rock Presidential Villa", the palatial residence of the president, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, as well as several other federal buildings. The use of slave labor was extensive, especially in agriculture. [14] Nigeria's constitution ensures freedom of religion. From independence, Nigeria has tried to develop a domestic nuclear industry for energy. Nigeria suffers from lack of adequate transportation infrastructure. Until 1975 it was the capital of Lagos state, and until 1991 it was the federal capital of Nigeria. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio, Tiv, and English. [193] Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and accounts for about 17% of the continent's total population as of 2017; however, exactly how populous is a subject of speculation. Some films and audio documentaries include: The 2009 thriller film The Figurine is generally considered the game changer, which heightened the media attention towards New Nigerian Cinema revolution. [168] Nigeria's ICT sector has experienced a lot of growth, representing 10% of the nation's GDP in 2018 as compared to just 1% in 2001. The 2002 Miss World pageant was moved from Abuja to London in the wake of violent protests by Muslims in the Northern part of the country that left at least a hundred dead and more than 500 injured. Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily in Borno and Yobe State, is part of the Nilo-Saharan family, and Hausa is an Afroasiatic language. Established in 2010, the event takes place over a 3- to 5-day period at selected high-quality outdoor venues. NigComSat-1R was also a DFH-4 satellite, and the replacement for the failed NigComSat-1 was successfully launched into orbit by China in Xichang on 19 December 2011. Nigeria has had a huge role in the development of various genres of African music, including West African highlife, Afrobeat, Afrobeats, and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques that have been linked to the Congo, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica and worldwide. It produced life-sized terracotta figures that are some of the earliest known sculptures in Sub-Saharan Africa[38][39][40][41][42] and smelted iron by about 550 BC and possibly a few centuries earlier. "Gender Self-Endangering: The Sexist Issue in Nigerian Politics". [128] Subsequently, Nigeria's economy is becoming over-reliant on cheap foreign imports to sustain itself, resulting in a clear decline in Nigerian Industry under such arrangements. The education system consists of six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four, five or six years of university education leading to a bachelor's degree. For the Yoruba, the precise percentage of Muslims and Christians is unknown but in states like Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and Kogi, it is equally split between Christians and Muslims while the Yoruba states of Ekiti and Ondo are predominantly Christian. [92] Several hundred million dollars in accounts traced to Abacha were discovered in 1999. As Africa's most populated country, Nigeria has repositioned its military as a peacekeeping force on the continent. Updates? In 2004, the IUCN–World Conservation Union identified 81 IAS in South Africa, 49 in Mauritius, 37 in Algeria and Madagascar, 35 in Kenya, 28 in Egypt, 26 in Ghana and Zimbabwe, and 22 in Ethiopia. It also shares a border with the self-declared, but internationally unrecognized state of Ambazonia in the southeast. In the precolonial period the country normally produced enough agricultural commodities to feed its population, and it even maintained a surplus for export. The statistics come from this list, so study it for an unfair advantage! The vast landlocked empire connected the East with the West Sudan region and made inroads down south conquering parts of the Oyo Empire (modern-day Kwara), and advanced towards the Yoruba heartland of Ibadan, with the goal of reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Its status as a major petroleum producer figures prominently in its sometimes volatile international relations with developed countries, notably the United States, and with developing countries. [130] As of 2020, the Eco currency has been delayed to 2025. In 2017 agreements were signed for the construction of the Itu nuclear power plant. A number of slave routes were established throughout Nigeria linking the hinterland areas with the major coastal ports. The nation's cadet team from Japan '93 produced some international players notably Nwankwo Kanu, a two-time African Footballer of the year who won the European Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam and later played with Inter Milan, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth. Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Author of. It was equipped with 0.3 megapixel and 5 megapixel cameras, and with the rest of the satellite fleet took images of Nigeria. Rivers draining the area north of the Niger-Benue trough include the Sokoto, the Kaduna, the Gongola, and the rivers draining into Lake Chad. A significant Shia minority exists (see Shia in Nigeria). The 30-month war, with a long siege of Biafra and its isolation from trade and supplies, ended in January 1970. This quiz will show you two countries. In a national television address in 2007, he added that if Nigerians did not like the victory of his handpicked successor, they would have an opportunity to vote again in four years. Gang violence in Lagos resulted in 273 civilians and 84 policemen killed in the period of August 2000 to May 2001. NigeriaSat-2, Nigeria's second satellite, was built as a high-resolution earth satellite by Surrey Space Technology Limited, a United Kingdom-based satellite technology company. The coup plotters succeeded in assassinating Sir Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa alongside prominent leaders of the Northern Region and also Premier Samuel Akintola of the Western Region, but the coup plotters struggled to form a central government. By the 1890s, the largest slave population in the world, about two million, was concentrated in the territories of the Sokoto Caliphate. Some other famous Nigerian footballers include John Obi Mikel, Obafemi Martins, Vincent Enyeama, Yakubu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Odemwingie and Jay-Jay Okocha. Characteristic landforms in this region include oxbow lakes, river meander belts (see meander), and prominent levees. [148] Nigeria had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.2/10, ranking it 82nd globally out of 172 countries.[149]. [215] Kano State has sought to incorporate Sharia law into its constitution. [242][243] In 2012, a new bone marrow donor program was launched by the University of Nigeria to help people with leukaemia, lymphoma, or sickle cell disease to find a compatible donor for a life-saving bone marrow transplant, which cures them of their conditions. [196], According to the United Nations, Nigeria has been undergoing explosive population growth and has one of the highest growth and fertility rates in the world. He legalized the formation of political parties, and formed the two-party system with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) ahead of the 1992 general elections. [289], Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, the Shehu of Borno. [137] In the dry northeast corner of the country lies Lake Chad, which Nigeria shares with Niger, Chad and Cameroon. [96] The then-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, acknowledged fraud and other electoral "lapses" but said the result reflected opinion polls. [123], Millions of Nigerians have emigrated during times of economic hardship, primarily to Europe, North America and Australia. Britain and the Soviet Union were the main military backers of the Nigerian government; with Nigeria utilizing air support from Egyptian pilots provided by Gamal Abdel Nasser,[70][71] while France and Israel aided the Biafrans. Notable musicians from Nigeria include: Sade Adu, King Sunny Adé, Onyeka Onwenu, Dele Sosimi, Adewale Ayuba, Ezebuiro Obinna, Ebenezer Obey, Femi Kuti, Lagbaja, Dr. Alban, Bola Abimbola, Tuface Idibia, Aṣa, Nneka, Wale, P Square, Wizkid, Skepta, Davido CB and D'Banj. The location map of Nigeria combines two projections: the orthographic azimuthal projection for the globe and the simple geographic projection for the rectangular part of the map. The major languages spoken in Nigeria represent three major families of languages of Africa: the majority are Niger-Congo languages, such as Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Fulfulde, Ogoni, and Edo. There are also Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya minorities,[217] as well as followers of the Baháʼí Faith. [244] In the 2014 ebola outbreak, Nigeria was the first country to effectively contain and eliminate the Ebola threat that was ravaging three other countries in the West African region, the unique method of contact tracing employed by Nigeria became an effective method later used by countries such as the United States, when ebola threats were discovered. [158], Prior to the Nigerian civil war, Nigeria was self-sufficient in food. [94] This ended almost 33 years of military rule from 1966 until 1999, excluding the short-lived second republic (between 1979 and 1983) by military dictators who seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups during the Nigerian military juntas of 1966–1979 and 1983–1999. The 1983 military coup d'état took place on New Year's Eve of that year. Pick the one that’s bigger, as measured by total area. Quite often they are plucked or cut, and fed either as fresh or conserved fodders. The far south is defined by its tropical rainforest climate, where annual rainfall is 60 to 80 inches (1,500 to 2,000 mm) a year. In the Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom, about 15,000 children were branded as witches; most of them ended up abandoned and abused on the streets. [7], Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. [115] Under an African Union mandate, it has stationed forces in Sudan's Darfur region to try to establish peace. [73][74], Following the war, Nigeria enjoyed the oil boom of the 1970s, during which the country joined OPEC and received huge oil revenues. [192], The United Nations estimates that the population in 2018 was at 195,874,685[194][195], distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre.