Geography

Area: 923.8 thousand sq. km. (356,700 sq. mi.) about the size of California,
Nevada, and Arizona.

Cities: Capital--Abuja (pop. est. 1.6 million). Other cities-- Lagos (11.4
million), Kano (3.3 million), Ibadan (3.3 million), Benin City (1.2 million),
Port Harcourt (1.2 million), Maiduguri (1.1 million), Zaria (1.0 million).


Terrain: Ranges from southern coastal swamps to tropical forests, open
woodlands, grasslands, and semi-desert in the far north. The highest regions are
the Jos Plateau 1,200-2,400 meters above sea level and the mountains along the
border with Cameroon.

Climate: Annual rainfall ranges from 381 cm. along the coast to 64 cm. or less
in the far north.



People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Nigerian(s).

Population (2008): 148 million.

Population growth rate (2007): 2.2%.

Total fertility rate (avg. number of children per woman in 2006): 5.4.

Ethnic groups (250): Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, and Kanuri are the largest.

Religions: Muslim, Christian, indigenous African.

Languages: English (official), Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulani, Kanuri, others.

Education: Attendance (secondary)--male 32%, female 27%. Literacy--39%-51%.


Health: Life expectancy (2006)--47 years.



Government

Type: Federal republic.

Independence: October 1, 1960.

Constitution: The 1999 constitution (based largely on the 1979 constitution) was
promulgated by decree on May 5, 1999 and came into force on May 29, 1999.

Subdivisions: 36 states plus Federal Capital Territory (Abuja); states divided
into a total of 774 local government areas.

Budget (2009): $21.3 billion, of which recurrent expenditures constitute $11.1
billion, capital expenditures $7 billion, statutory transfers $1.1 billion, and
debt service $2 billion. Critical sectors--security and the Niger Delta
(20%); education (8%); transportation (7%); agriculture and water (5%); and
energy (5%).

Indebtedness, including federal/state government debt, as percentage of GDP: 3%.



Economy

GDP (2008): $183 billion (agriculture 33%; industry 39%; services 28%).

Real GDP growth rate (2009): 4.4%. Oil growth: -18%. Non-oil growth: 3%.

Per capita GDP (2009): $1,418.

Inflation (2009): 11.5%.

Natural resources: Oil and natural gas (37% of 2006 GDP), tin, columbite, iron
ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc.

Agriculture: Products--cocoa, palm oil, yams, cassava, sorghum, millet,
corn, rice, livestock, groundnuts, cotton.

Industry: Types--textiles, cement, food products, footwear, metal
products, lumber, beer, detergents, car assembly.

Trade (2007): Exports--$65.5 billion: fuels and mining products (97%);
agricultural products (cocoa, rubber, oil, nuts) (2.2%); manufactures (0.8%).
Partners--United States (38.3%); European Union (21.8%); India (9.9%);
Brazil (6.8%); Japan (4%). Imports--$29.5 billion: machinery; chemicals;
transport equipment; manufactured goods (72.3%); agricultural products (23.7%),
fuels and mining products (4%). Partners--European Union (33.2%); United
States (15.6%); China 7.2%; Korea (2.8%); U.A.E. (2.6%); others (15%).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, 2008): 29.5% of GDP.

Official development assistance (2006): $11.434 billion.

Currency: Naira (150 Naira = U.S. $1 as of March 23, 2010).