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Geography
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located in West Africa. The nation borders Niger to the north, Chad to the northeast, Cameroon to the east, and Benin to the west. To the south is the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Nigeria comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital city, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, the largest city in Africa.
Demographics
With a population of over 230 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria is a very ethnically diverse country with 371 identified ethnic groups. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, who make up 25% of the population; the Yoruba, who make up 21%; and the Igbo, who make up 18%. Other significant ethnic groups include the Fulani, Ibibio, Tiv, Kanuri, and Ijaw.
Nigeria is also a linguistically diverse country with over 525 native languages. English is the official language and most widely spoken lingua franca. An English-based creole called Nigerian Pidgin, is spoken by 30 million people. Other widely spoken languages come from the three major African language families: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger–Congo.
Nigeria is officially a secular state with no official state religion. However, the country is home to some of the world’s largest Christian and Muslim populations. which have been gradually replacing indigenous African religions which have been declining for decades. Most Nigerian Christians are Protestant, though about a quarter are Catholic. Christianity is more widely practiced in the South. Nigeria also home to a large Muslim population, with the majority of Nigerian Muslims being either Sunni or non-denominational Muslims, although a significant Shia minority also exists. Islam is more concentrated in the Northern part of Nigeria and twelve Muslim-majority northern states have incorporated Sharia courts into their legal systems. Other religions exist in Nigeria, such as Hinduism, Bahai, and Judaism, but these are practiced by either foreigners or negligible few Nigerians.
History
The earliest inhabitants of Nigeria date back to at least 13,000 BC. The Nok culture, one of the earliest African civilizations, began around 1500 BC. During the pre-colonial period, numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region, such as the Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Empire, and the Oyo Empire. Islam reached Nigeria during the 11th century, while Christianity came to Nigeria in the 15th century through Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal.
From the 15th century, European slave traders arrived in the region to purchase enslaved Africans as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Lagos was occupied by British forces in 1851 and formally annexed by Britain in 1865. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901.
Nigeria achieved independence in 1960 and transitioned to a federal republic with three constituent states in 1963. A separatist movement later formed the Republic of Biafra in 1967, leading to the three-year Nigerian Civil War. Nigeria became a republic again after a new constitution was written in 1979. However, the republic was short-lived, as the military seized power again in 1983 and later ruled for ten years. A new republic was established in 1999, which ended three decades of intermittent military rule.
Notable Nigerians
In the below list, columns can be sorted by clicking on the arrow button in any category heading box. A "C" in the final column denotes a Notable who has been successfully connected to the Big Tree. "N/C" stands for Not Connected.
Notable | Born | Died | Claim to Fame | Photo | C | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nana Asma'u | 1793 | 1864 | Fula princess, poet & teacher | ![]() | N/C | |
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti | 1900 | 1978 | Educator and women's rights activist | ![]() | N/C | |
Nnamdi Azikiwe | 1904 | 1996 | Independence leader and 1st ceremonial president | ![]() | N/C | |
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa | 1912 | 1966 | Nigeria's first and only Prime Minister | ![]() | N/C | |
Amos Tutuola | 1920 | 1997 | Writer who wrote books based in part on Yoruba folk-tales. | ![]() | N/C | |
Shehu Shagari | 1925 | 2018 | First democratically-elected President of Nigeria | ![]() | N/C | |
Chinua Achebe | 1930 | 2013 | Author known as the "Father of Modern African Literature" | ![]() | N/C | |
Flora Nwapa | 1931 | 1993 | Author known as the "Mother of Modern African Literature" | ![]() | N/C | |
Odumegwu Ojukwu | 1933 | 2011 | President of Biafra' | ![]() | N/C | |
Tony Allen | 1940 | 2020 | Afrobeat Musician | ![]() | N/C | |
Ken Saro-Wiwa | 1941 | 1995 | Environmental Activist | ![]() | Connected | |
Buchi Emecheta | 1944 | 2017 | Novelist and Children's Author | ![]() | N/C | |
Bola Tinubu | 1952 | LIVING | Current President of Nigeria | ![]() | N/C | |
Rashidi Yekini | 1963 | 2012 | Footballer | ![]() | N/C | |
Sunday Bada | 1969 | 2011 | Olympic Sprinter | ![]() | N/C |
- Join us this evening for our Final 15 Nations Tour Wrap Up Nov 13, 2023.
- 15 Nations Global Tour: NIGERIA (Stop #15) Oct 25, 2023.
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