Map of Nigeria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Nigeria has been ruled by the military since 1983.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Benin and Cameroon

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 923,770 km²
Land: 910,770 km²

Land boundaries: total 4,047 km, Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 30 nm

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

Natural resources: petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 31%
Permanent crops: 3%
Meadows and pastures: 23%
Forest and woodland: 15%
Other: 28%

Irrigated land: 8,650 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography


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Population: 98,091,097 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 3.15% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Nigerian(s)

Ethnic groups: north:Hausa and Fulani

Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.15% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 43.52 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 12.43 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.36 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 75 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.33 years
Male: 54.11 years
Female: 56.59 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 51%
Male: 62%
Female: 40%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form:

Government type: military government since 31 December 1983; plans to institute a constitutional conference to prepare for a new transition to civilian rule after plans for a transition in 1993 were negated by General BABANGIDA

Capital: Abuja
Note: on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of facilities in Abuja

Administrative divisions: 30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Capital Territory*, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 October 1960 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1960)

Constitution: 1979 constitution still in force; plan for 1989 constitution to take effect in 1993 was not implemented

Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November 1993; Vice-Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA (since 17 November 1993)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
Senate: suspended after coup of 17 November 1993
House of Representatives: suspended after coup of 17 November 1993

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMO, IMF, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Walter CARRINGTON
From the us chancery: 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036
From the us telephone: [234] (1) 610,050
From the us consulates general: Kaduna
From the us embassy: 2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
From the us FAX: [234] (1) 610,257

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be hobbled by poor macroeconomic management that has resulted in an average annual inflation rate of 60%, a growing foreign debt, and a worsening balance of payments. A deepening political crisis in 1993 has compounded the government's failure to reign in deficit spending, which prevents it from reaching an agreement with the IMF and its bilateral creditors on debt relief. Investment in both oil and non-oil sector industry has been undermined by corruption and squandered on white elephant projects that have failed to generate diversification or new employment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4.1% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $1,000 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 35% of GDP and half of labor force; inefficient small-scale farming dominates; once a large net exporter of food and now an importer; cash crops - cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rubber; food crops - corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; fishing and forestry resources extensively exploited

Industries: crude oil and mining - coal, tin, columbite; primary processing industries - palm oil, peanut, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins; manufacturing industries - textiles, cement, building materials, food products, footwear, chemical, printing, ceramics, steel

Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (1991; accounts for 43% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 42.844 million
By occupation agriculture: 54%
By occupation industry commerce and services: 19%
By occupation government: 15%
By occupation note: 49% of population of working age (1985)

Unemployment rate: 28% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$9 billion

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $11.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: oil 95%, cocoa, rubber
Partners: US 54%, EC 23%

Imports: $8.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
Commodities: machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, food and animals
Partners: EC 64%, US 10%, Japan 7%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $29.5 billion (1992)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: naira (N) per US$1 - 21.886 (November 1993), 17.298 (1992), 9.909 (1991), 8.038 (1990), 7.3647 (1989)


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Electricity
Capacity: 4,740,000 kW
Production: 8.3 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 70 kWh (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $172 million, about 1% of GDP (1992)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 80
Usable: 67
With permanentsurface runways: 34
With runways over 3659 m: 1
With runways 2440-3659 m: 15
With runways 1220-2439 m: 21

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km; natural gas 500 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 8,575 km consisting of Niger and Benue Rivers and smaller rivers and creeks

Merchant marine: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 432,704 GRT/686,718 DWT, bulk 1, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 9, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; boundary commission, created with Cameroon to discuss unresolved land and maritime boundaries, has not yet convened, but a commission was formed January 1994 to study a flare-up of the dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: passenger and cargo air hub for West Africa; facilitates movement of heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and North America; increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South America intended for West European, East Asian, and North American markets