Map of Nigeria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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

Area
Total: 923,770 km²
Land: 910,770 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California

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 the 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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 31%
Permanent crops: 3%
Permanent pastures: 23%
Forests 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

Geography


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Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Nigerian(s)
Adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups:
North: Hausa and Fulani
Southwest: Yoruba
Southeast: Ibos
Note: Hausa and Fulani, Yoruba, and Ibos together make up 65% of population

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

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities
Current issues Natural hazards: periodic droughts
International agreements: party to_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
All ages:

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.34 years (1996 est.), 55.98 years (1995 est.)
Male: 53.06 years (1996 est.), 54.69 years (1995 est.)
Female: 55.65 years (1996 est.), 57.3 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

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
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 57.1%
Male: 67.3%
Female: 47.3%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Conventional short form: Nigeria

Government type: Military government; Nigeria has been ruled by one military regime after another since 31 December 1983; on 1 October 1995, the present military government announced it will turn power over to democratically elected civilian authorities in October 1998

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; note_some new administrative units may have been created

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 October 1960 (from U.K.)

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: Head of State:Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar (since 10 june 1998)
17 November 1993 10 june 1998: Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (died 10 june 1998); Vice-Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA (since 17 November 1993)
Cabinet: Federal Executive Council

Legislative branch: Bicameral National Assembly Senate:Suspended after military takeover of 17 November 1993 House of Representatives:Suspended after military takeover of 17 November 1993

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the Armed Forces Ruling Council; Federal Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C (suspended), CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMIR, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation

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 political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management. Nigeria's unpopular military rulers failed to make significant progress in diversifying the economy away from overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector which provides almost all foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Regime officials also appear divided on how to redress fundamental economic imbalances that result in troublesome inflation, the steady depreciation of the naira, and the discouragement of investors. The government's domestic and international arrears continue to limit economic growth and prevent an agreement with the IMF and bilateral creditors on debt relief. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Accounts for 38% of GDP and half of labor force; 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:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 7.7% (1991; accounts for 22% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 42.844 million
By occupation agriculture: 54%
By occupation industry commerce and services: 19%
By occupation government: 15%

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: $2.7 billion (1994 est.), $9 billion (1992 est.)
Expenditures: $6.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (1994 est.), $10.8 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1992 est.)

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:
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports
Total value:
Commodities:
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Capacity: 4,570,000 kW
Production: 11.3 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 109 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 492,204 telephones (1990 est.); average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress
Local: NA
Intercity: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and 20 domestic satellite earth stations carry intercity traffic
International: 3 INTELSAT earth stations (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 coaxial submarine cable carry international traffic

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $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: 66
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12 (1995 est.)
With paved runways under 914 m: 18

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
Total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 387,552 GRT/636,578 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, oil tanker 12, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

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