British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government faces the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the defusing longstanding ethnic and religious tensions are a priority if Nigeria is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Although the April 2003 elections were marred by some irregularities, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. General elections in April 2007 were considered significantly flawed by Nigerian and international observers but they marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history. President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA took office on 29 May 2007.
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)
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
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.)
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.)
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 May 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
Action Congress or AC [Bisi AKANDE]; Advanced Congress of Democrats or ACD [Alex ANIELO]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Alh Modu SHERIF]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic People's Party or DPP [Umara AHMED]; Fresh Democratic Party [Chris OKOTIE]; 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 [Dr. Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [disputed leadership]
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green
Economy - overview
Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt - relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. GDP rose strongly in 2006, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$191.4 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$83.36 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
5.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
17.3%
industry
53.2%
services
29.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force
48.99 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
70%
industry
10%
services
20% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate
5.8% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
60% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
1.6%
highest 10%
40.8% (1996-97)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
50.6 (1996-97)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
10.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
26.4% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$17.86 billion
expenditures
$19.05 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate
-1.6% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
19.06 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
61.9%
hydro
38.1%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
17.71 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
20 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
2.451 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
290,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves
36.25 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production
21.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
9.21 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
12.59 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
4.984 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$12.59 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$59.01 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
Exports - partners
US 49.9%, Spain 8.1%, Brazil 6.3%, France 4.3% (2006)
Imports
$25.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
Imports - partners
China 10.6%, US 8.3%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5.7%, France 5.5%, Germany 4.5%, Brazil 4.4% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$42.97 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$6.278 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$250 million (1998)
Currency (code)
naira (NGN)
Currency code
NGN
Exchange rates
nairas per US dollar - 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
1.223 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
21.571 million (2006)
Telephone system
general assessment
expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network has been slow due to faltering efforts at privatization
domestic
the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth of this service; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; 4 wireless (GSM) service providers operate nationally; the combined growth resulted in a sharp increase in teledensity reported to be over 18% in March 2006
international
country code - 234; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations
AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)
Radios
23.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2001)
Televisions
6.9 million (1997)
Internet country code
.ng
Internet hosts
1,549 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
11 (2000)
Internet users
5 million (2005)
Airports
69 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
36
over 3,047 m
6
2,438 to 3,047 m
12
1,524 to 2,437 m
10
914 to 1,523 m
6
under 914 m
2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
33
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
13
under 914 m
18 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate 126 km; gas 2,812 km; liquid petroleum gas 125 km; oil 4,278 km; refined products 3,517 km (2006)
Railways
total
3,505 km
narrow gauge
3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
194,394 km
paved
60,068 km
unpaved
134,326 km (1999)
Waterways
8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2007)
Merchant marine
total
52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 277,709 GRT/475,414 DWT
by type
cargo 6, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, specialized tanker 2
Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos, Port Harcourt
Military branches
Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2007)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2006)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
26,802,678
females age 18-49
25,668,446 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
15,052,914
females age 18-49
13,860,806 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
1,353,180
females age 18-49
1,329,267 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.5% (2006)
Disputes - international
Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin)
6,051 (Liberia)
IDPs
undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly short-term) (2006)
Illicit drugs
a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF
