Background: Following nearly 16 years of military rule a new constitution was adopted in 1999 and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement and institutionalizing democracy. In addition the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious tensions if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Despite some irregularities the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history.

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N 8 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 923,768 km²
Land: 910,768 km²
Water: 13,000 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,047 km
Border countries: (4) 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
Extremes highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 31.29%
Permanent crops: 2.96%
Other: 65.75% (2001)

Irrigated land: 2,330 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; flooding

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
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 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.45% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 60% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Nigerian
Adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups: Nigeria which is 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%

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 29,985,427; female 29,637,684)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 37,502,756; female 36,205,442)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,944,260; female 1,977,564) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.1 years
Male: 18.2 years
Female: 17.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.45% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 38.24 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 13.99 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.26 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 70.49 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 73.55 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 67.34 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 50.49 years
Male: 50.35 years
Female: 50.63 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.4% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 3.6 million (2003 est.)
Deaths: 310,000 (2003 est.)

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: republic transitioning from military to civilian rule

Capital: Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now made the move to Abuja

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 May 1999

Legal system: based on English common law Islamic Shariah law (only in some northern states) and traditional law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Federal Executive Council
Elections: president is elected by popular vote for no more than two four-year terms; election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
Election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6%

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.6%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 73, ANPP 28, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 9.3%, other 8.8%; seats by party - PDP 213, ANPP 95, AD 31, other 7; note - two constituencies are not reported

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: Alliance for Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Chekwas OKORIE]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Audu OGBEH]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Saleh JAMBO]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-15 G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MIGA MINURSO MONUC NAM OIC ONUB OPCW OPEC PCA UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNITAR UNMEE UNMIK UNMIL UNMOVIC UNOCI UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jibril Muhammad AMINU
In the us chancery: 3,519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 986-8,400
In the us fax: [1] (202) 775-1385
In the us consulates general: Atlanta and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Howard Franklin JETER
From the us embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
From the us telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5,857/2,235/2,205
From the us fax: [234] (9) 523-0353

Flag description: 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 the new civilian administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from 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. The government has lacked 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. During 2003 however the government deregulated fuel prices and announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries. GDP growth probably will rise marginally in 2004 led by oil and natural gas exports.

Real gdp growth rate: 7.1% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30.8%
Industry: 43.8%
Services: 25.4% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa peanuts palm oil corn rice sorghum millet cassava (tapioca) yams rubber; cattle sheep goats pigs; timber; fish

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force: 54.36 million (2003 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 20% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA (2003 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)

Budget
Revenues: $8.026 billion
Expenditures: $11.09 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Public debt: 28.6% of GDP (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 13.8% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $1.439 billion (2003)

Exports: $21.8 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 95% cocoa rubber
Partners: US 38.3% India 9.9% Brazil 6.8% Spain 6.2% France 5.6% Japan 4% (2003)

Imports: $14.54 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery chemicals transport equipment manufactured goods food and live animals
Partners: US 15.6% UK 9.6% Germany 7.3% China 7.2% Italy 4.3% (2003)

Debt external: $31.07 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: nairas per US dollar - 129.222 (2003) 120.578 (2002) 111.231 (2001) 101.697 (2000) 92.3381 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 15.67 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 14.55 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 20 million kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 15.68 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 7.85 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 7.83 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 4.007 trillion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 853,100 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 3,149,500 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: an inadequate system, further limited by poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been made
Domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available
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

Internet
Country code: .ng
Hosts: 1142 (2004)
Users: 750,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $469.8 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 0.9% (2003)

Airports: 70 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 36
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 34
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: condensate 105 km; gas 1896 km; oil 3,638 km; refined products 3,626 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 3,557 km
Narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
Standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Waterways: 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 327,808 GRT/608,076 DWT
By type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: Norway 2, Pakistan 1, Togo 1, United States 1
Registered in other countries: 26 (2004 est.)

Disputes international: ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary starting in Lake Chad in the north; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakasi Peninsula; 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 the unresolved Bakasi allocation 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; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Benin; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon Chad Niger and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over lake region which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President Obasanjo's election in 1999) (2004)

Illicit drugs: a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European East Asian and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime