Background: 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 continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement and institutionalizing democracy. In addition Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country'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 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 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 286.2 km³ (2003)

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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 2.025% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Nigerian
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%

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 31,171,949/female 29,806,204)
15-64 years: 55.3% (male 41,243,003/female 39,611,565)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,152,318/female 2,270,267) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.9 years
Male: 18.8 years
Female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.025% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 37.23 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 16.88 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male/female
Total population: 1.04 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 95.74 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 101.83 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 89.28 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.53 years
Male: 45.78 years
Female: 47.32 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever
Water contact disease: leptospirosis and shistosomiasis
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Education expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (1991)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 68%
Male: 75.7%
Female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 8 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 7 years (2004)

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

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Abuja
Geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 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 - Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA 69.8%, Muhammadu BUHARI 18.7%, Atiku ABUBAKAR 7.5%, Orji Uzor KALU 1.7%, other 2.3%

Legislative branch
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 - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%, other 8.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, UNPP 2.8%, NPD 1.9%, APGA 1.6%, PRP 0.8%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6, UNPP 2, APGA 2, NPD 1, PRP 1, vacant 1

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: Accord Party [Ikra Aliyu BILBIS]; Action Congress or AC [Hassan ZUMI]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic People's Party or DPP [Jeremiah USENI]; Fresh Democratic Party [Chris OKOTIE]; Labor Party [Dan NWANYANWU]; 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 [vacant]; Peoples Progressive Alliance [Clement EBRI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Mallam Selah JAMBO]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-15 G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURCAT MINURSO MONUC NAM OAS (observer) OIC OPCW OPEC PCA UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNMIS UNOCI UNOMIG UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Oluwole ROTIMI
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, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robin SANDERS
From the us embassy: 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 5,760, Garki, Abuja
From the us telephone: [234] (9) 461-4,000
From the us fax: [234] (9) 461-4,036

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 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 80% 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 2007 based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. Newly-elected President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his predecessor and the proposed budget for 2008 reflects the administrations emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for electricity and roads.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $296.1 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.4% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,100 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 17.7%
Industry: 52.6%
Services: 29.8% (2007 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 small commercial ship construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 50.13 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 20% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.9% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 33.2% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index: 43.7 (2003)

Budget
Revenues: $19.43 billion
Expenditures: $20.36 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 14.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 9.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 16.94% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $16.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $32.82 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $2.514 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $61.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 95% cocoa rubber
Partners: US 51.6% Brazil 8.9% Spain 7.7% (2007)

Imports: $38.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery chemicals transport equipment manufactured goods food and live animals
Partners: China 10.6% Netherlands 7.9% US 7.8% South Korea 6.6% UK 5.7% France 4.3% Brazil 4.2% Germany 4.1% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $51.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $8.007 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $33.64 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $12.63 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates: nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 127.46 (2007) 127.38 (2006) 132.59 (2005) 132.89 (2004) 129.22 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 22.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 15.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 34.1 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 12.9 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 21.2 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.21 trillion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.58 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 40.395 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed
Domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth but subscribership remains only about 1 per 100 persons; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple service providers operate nationally; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 30 per 100 persons in 2007
International: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ng
Hosts: 1048 (2008)
Users: 10 million (2007)

Military expenditures: 1.5% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Airports: 70 (2007)
With paved runways total: 36
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 12
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 34
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Heliports: 2 (2007)

Pipelines: condensate 124 km; gas 3,071 km; liquid petroleum gas 156 km; oil 4,347 km; refined products 3,949 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 3,505 km
Narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 193,200 km
Paved: 28,980 km
Unpaved: 164,220 km (2004)

Waterways: 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 68
By type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 12, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 46, specialized tanker 2
Foreign owned: 3 (Japan 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1)
Registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cook Islands 1, Georgia 1, Italy 1, Liberia 2, Panama 10, Poland 1, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, unknown 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Bonny Inshore Terminal Calabar Lagos

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: 5,778 (Liberia)
Idps: undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly short-term) (2007)

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