Nigeria

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Nigeria (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the neighbouring country Niger.
"Naijá" redirects here. For the language sometimes referred to by the same name, see Nigerian Pidgin.

Federal Republic of Nigeria
  • Jamhuriyar Tarayyar Najeriya (Hausa)
  • Ọ̀hàńjíkọ̀ Ọ̀hànézè Naìjíríyà (Igbo)
  • Orílẹ̀-èdè Olómìniira Àpapọ̀ Nàìjíríà (Yoruba)
Motto: "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress"
Anthem: "Nigeria, We Hail Thee"
CapitalAbuja
9°4′N 7°29′E / 9.067°N 7.483°E / 9.067; 7.483
Largest cityLagos
Official languagesEnglish
National languages
Regional languages[1]Over 525 languages[2]
Ethnic groups
(2018)[3]
Demonym(s)Nigerian
GovernmentFederal presidential republic
• President
Bola Tinubu
Kashim Shettima
Godswill Akpabio
Tajudeen Abbas
Kudirat Kekere-Ekun
LegislatureNational Assembly
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
House of Representatives
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
1 January 1900
1 January 1900
1 January 1914
1 October 1960
1 October 1963
29 May 1999
Area
• Total
923,769 km2 (356,669 sq mi) (31st)
• Water (%)
1.4
Population
• 2023 estimate
Neutral increase 230,842,743[4] (6th)
• Density
249.8/km2 (647.0/sq mi) (42nd)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $1.490 trillion[5] (27th)
• Per capita
Increase $6,540[5] (146th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Decrease $199.72 billion[5] (53rd)
• Per capita
Decrease $877[5] (177th)
Gini (2020)Positive decrease 35.1[6]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.548[7]
low (161st)
CurrencyNaira (₦) (NGN)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (WAT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright[8]
Calling code+234
ISO 3166 codeNG
Internet TLD.ng

Nigeria,[a] officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa.[9] It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi). With a population of more than 230 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Nigeria is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where its capital, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the largest in Africa.

Nigeria has been home to several indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms since the second millennium BC, with the Nok civilization in the 15th century BC marking the first internal unification.[10] The modern state originated with British colonialization in the 19th century, taking its present territorial shape with the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal structures while practicing indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms.[11] Nigeria became a formally independent federation on 1 October 1960. It experienced a civil war from 1967 to 1970, followed by a succession of military dictatorships and democratically elected civilian governments until achieving a stable government in the 1999 Nigerian presidential election, with the election of Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party. However, the country frequently experiences electoral fraud, and corruption is rampant in various levels of Nigerian politics.

Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures.[12][13][14] The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa in the north, Yoruba in the west, and Igbo in the east, together constituting over 60% of the total population.[15] The official language is English, chosen to facilitate linguistic unity at the national level.[16] Nigeria's constitution ensures de jure freedom of religion,[17] and it is home to some of the world's largest Muslim and Christian populations.[18] Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the north part of the country, and Christians, who live mostly in the south; indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, are in the minority.[19]

Nigeria is a regional power in Africa and a middle power in international affairs. Nigeria's economy is the fourth-largest in Africa, the 53rd-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and 27th-largest by PPP. Nigeria is referred to as the Giant of Africa by its citizens owing to its large population and formerly large economy,[20] and is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, NAM,[21] the Economic Community of West African States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and OPEC. It is also a member of the informal MINT group of countries and is one of the Next Eleven economies.

  1. ^ "Languages of Nigeria". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  2. ^ Blench, Roger (2014). An Atlas Of Nigerian Languages. Oxford: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. ^ "Africa: Nigeria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Nigeria". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 4 March 2023. (Archived 2022 edition.)
  5. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Nigeria)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Poverty and Inequality Index". National Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24". United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ^ Akinbode, Ayomide (2 April 2019). "Why Nigeria changed from Right-Hand Drive to Left-Hand Drive in 1972". thehistoryville.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021. The terms 'right- and left-hand drive' refer to the position of the driver in the vehicle and are the reverse of the terms 'right- and left-hand traffic'.
  9. ^ "About Nigeria". nigeriaembassygermany.org. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Nigeria - Colonialism, Independence, Civil War". Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  11. ^ Achebe, Nwando. The female king of colonial Nigeria : Ahebi Ugbabe. Bloomington. ISBN 978-0-253-00507-6. OCLC 707092916. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Ethnicity in Nigeria". PBS. 5 April 2007. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Nigeria". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  14. ^ Pereltsvaig, Asya (16 June 2011). "Linguistic diversity in Africa and Europe – Languages Of The World". Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Nigeria – CIA World Factbook 2019" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. ^ Mann, Charles C. (1990). "Choosing an Indigenous Official Language for Nigeria" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Nigerian Constitution". Nigeria Law. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  18. ^ "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Pew Research Center. April 2019. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Nigeria Fact Sheet" (PDF). United States Embassy in Nigeria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Nigeria: The African giant". The Round Table. 50 (197): 55–63. 1959. doi:10.1080/00358535908452221. ISSN 0035-8533.
  21. ^ "Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) - The Nuclear Threat Initiative". Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.


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