Nigeria | History, Population, Flag, Map, Languages, Capital, & Facts (2024)

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Also known as: Federal Republic of Nigeria

Written by

Reuben Kenrick Udo Professor of Geography, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Member, National Population Commission, Lagos. Author of Geographical Regions of Nigeria.

Reuben Kenrick Udo,

Anthony Hamilton Millard Kirk-Greene Emeritus Lecturer in the Modern History of Africa, University of Oxford; Emeritus Fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford. Author of Crisis and Conflict in Nigeria, 1966–1967 and others.

Anthony Hamilton Millard Kirk-GreeneAll

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

Nigeria, country located on the western coast of Africa. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. However, Nigeria’s most diverse feature is its people. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio, Tiv, and English. The country has abundant natural resources, notably large deposits of petroleum and natural gas.

Nigeria | History, Population, Flag, Map, Languages, Capital, & Facts (3)

Country Facts

Capital, Population, Government...

Country Facts

See article: flag of Nigeria

Audio File:National anthem of Nigeria

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Head Of State And Government:
President: Bola Tinubu
Capital:
Abuja
Population:
(2024 est.) 228,181,000
Form Of Government:
federal republic with two legislative houses (Senate [109]; House of Representatives [360])
Official Language:
English

The national capital is Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory, which was created by decree in 1976. Lagos, the former capital, retains its standing as the country’s leading commercial and industrial city.

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Modern Nigeria dates from 1914, when the British Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were joined. The country became independent on October 1, 1960, and in 1963 adopted a republican constitution but elected to stay a member of the Commonwealth.

Land

Nigeria is bordered to the north by Niger, to the east by Chad and Cameroon, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by Benin. Nigeria is not only large in area—larger than the U.S. state of Texas—but also Africa’s most populous country.

Relief

Britannica QuizWhich Country Is Larger? Quiz

In general, the topography of Nigeria consists of plains in the north and south interrupted by plateaus and hills in the centre of the country. The Sokoto Plains lie in the northwestern corner of the country, while the Borno Plains in the northeastern corner extend as far as the Lake Chad basin. The Lake Chad basin and the coastal areas, including the Niger River delta and the western parts of the Sokoto region in the far northwest, are underlain by soft, geologically young sedimentary rocks. Gently undulating plains, which become waterlogged during the rainy season, are found in these areas. The characteristic landforms of the plateaus are high plains with broad, shallow valleys dotted with numerous hills or isolated mountains, called inselbergs; the underlying rocks are crystalline, although sandstones appear in river areas. The Jos Plateau rises almost in the centre of the country; it consists of extensive lava surfaces dotted with numerous extinct volcanoes. Other eroded surfaces, such as the Udi-Nsukka escarpment (see Udi-Nsukka Plateau), rise abruptly above the plains at elevations of at least 1,000 feet (300 metres). The most mountainous area is along the southeastern border with Cameroon, where the Cameroon Highlands rise to the highest points in the country, Chappal Waddi (7,936 feet [2,419 metres]) in the Gotel Mountains and Mount Dimlang (6,699 feet [2,042 metres]) in the Shebshi Mountains.

Drainage

The major drainage areas in Nigeria are the Niger-Benue basin, the Lake Chad basin, and the Gulf of Guinea basin. The Niger River, for which the country is named, and the Benue, its largest tributary, are the principal rivers. The Niger has many rapids and waterfalls, but the Benue is not interrupted by either and is navigable throughout its length, except during the dry season. Rivers draining the area north of the Niger-Benue trough include the Sokoto, the Kaduna, the Gongola, and the rivers draining into Lake Chad. The coastal areas are drained by short rivers that flow into the Gulf of Guinea. River basin development projects have created many large man-made lakes, including Lake Kainji on the Niger and Lake Bakolori on the Rima River.

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The Niger delta is a vast low-lying region through which the waters of the Niger River drain into the Gulf of Guinea. Characteristic landforms in this region include oxbow lakes, river meander belts (see meander), and prominent levees. Large freshwater swamps give way to brackish mangrove thickets near the seacoast.

Soils

Soils in Nigeria, and in Africa generally, are usually of a poorer quality than those in other regions of the world. However, over the centuries Nigerians have utilized agricultural techniques such as slash and burn, intercropping, and the use of shallow planting implements to cope with the shortcomings of the soil. In the precolonial period the country normally produced enough agricultural commodities to feed its population, and it even maintained a surplus for export.

Nigeria’s major soil zones conform to geographic location. Loose sandy soils consisting of wind-borne deposits and riverine sands are found in the northern regions, although, in areas where there is a marked dry season, a dense surface layer of laterite develops, making these soils difficult to cultivate. The soils in the northern states of Kano and Sokoto, however, are not subject to leaching and are therefore easily farmed. South of Kano the mixed soils contain locally derived granite and loess (wind-borne deposits). The middle two-thirds of the country, the savanna regions, contain reddish, laterite soils; they are somewhat less fertile than those of the north because they are not subject to as much seasonal drying, nor do they receive the greater rainfall that occurs in the more southerly regions. The forest soils represent the third zone. There the vegetation provides humus and protects it from erosion by heavy rainfall. Although these soils can readily be leached and lose their fertility, they are the most productive agriculturally. Hydromorphic and organic soils, confined largely to areas underlain by sedimentary rocks along the coast and river floodplains, are the youngest soil types.

Nigeria | History, Population, Flag, Map, Languages, Capital, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

What is the brief history of Nigeria population? ›

It was only a century ago that there were 2 billion people. Since then, the global population has quadrupled to eight billion. Around 108 billion people have ever lived on our planet. This means that today's population size makes up 6.5% of the total number of people ever born.

What are important historical facts about Nigeria? ›

The area began to come under British control in 1861 and was made a British colony in 1914. Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and became a republic in 1963. Ethnic strife soon led to military coups, and military groups ruled the country from 1966 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1999.

Who were the first people in Nigeria? ›

Archaeological research, pioneered by Charles Thurstan Shaw, has shown that people were already living in south-eastern Nigeria (specifically Igbo Ukwu, Nsukka, Afikpo and Ugwuele) 100,000 years ago. Excavations in Ugwuele, Afikpo and Nsukka show evidence of long habitations as early as 6,000 BC.

What was Nigeria's name before 1914? ›

Answer and Explanation: Named for its association with the river, the first section was named The Northern Nigeria Protectorate, and the other half was referred to as the Southern Nigeria Protectorate. However, in 1914 the two halves were united, and the area became known as simply Nigeria.

What language do they speak in Nigeria? ›

What is the population of Nigeria history? ›

From 1960 to 2022 the population of Nigeria increased from 45.14 million to 218.54 million people. This is a growth of 384.2 percent in 62 years.

What are some fun facts about Nigeria's population? ›

Nigeria is the country with the highest population in Africa. In 2024, its population amounted to over 227 million and was estimated to constantly increase in the next decades. By 2050, this figure considerably increase to reach around 380 million people.

How old is Nigeria history? ›

The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose remains date from at least 13,000 BC through early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC.

What is the oldest race in Nigeria? ›

There has been much argument about which tribe in Nigeria is the oldest. The Ijaws started inhabiting the Niger Delta region of what is now Nigeria as far back as 800 BCE, thus making them one of the world's most ancient peoples. They have existed as a distinct language and ethnic group for over 5,000 years.

What is the oldest language in Nigeria? ›

Hausa is the oldest known written language in West Africa, dating back to before 1000 C.E.” (Countries and Their Cultures). Because English is the most commonly used language, those who are not ethnic Yourbas or Igbos rarely speak their language (Countries and Their Cultures).

What was Nigeria's first religion? ›

Prior to the advent of Christianity and Islam, there was African Traditional Religion (ATR) in the Nigerian State. ATR had close collaborative relationship with virtually every aspect of communal living; economic, political and social.

What country owned Nigeria? ›

On 1 January 1914, the British formally united the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the Northern and Southern Protectorates and Lagos Colony.

What is the old name for Nigeria? ›

"Before the name 'Nigeria' emerged, the British had taken control of Lagos and the southern coast. The Royal Niger Company had control of the region around the river which was generally referred to as the 'Royal Niger Company Territories'."

Is Nigeria truly the giant of Africa? ›

Is Nigeria truly the giant of Africa? If “giant” means population, then yes. Nigeria is the giant of Africa with an estimated population of over 200million people and a lot of diversities. But if you're talking about other indices that means “giant”, then no.

What is the brief history of National Population Commission in Nigeria? ›

The National Population Commission had a long history spanning over four decades. The nucleus of the agency was the National Census Board which conducted the 1973 Census and headed by the late Justice Adetokunbo Ademola. It was an ad-hoc body and became the National Population Bureau after the exercise.

Why is Nigeria heavily populated? ›

Nigeria's rapid growth is the result of its large young population coming into child-bearing age, with currently half of the population under the age of 19. It's home to some of Africa's richest individuals, however stark wealth inequality divides the country, with two-thirds of the population below the poverty line.

What is the reason for population growth in Nigeria? ›

This high population growth in Nigeria has over stressed all sectors of the economy with high cost of living. According to Fan and Besong (2010), the factors that were responsible to the population explosion in Nigeria were high birth rate, low death rate and immigration.

What was the population of Nigeria at independence? ›

In fact, as the Nigerian population increases over the years, so have poverty and other developmental challenges. At independence in 1960 with a population of about 43 million people, the poverty ratio was estimated at 15%.

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