Brief Facts About Nigeria

Referred to the Giant of Africa due to its large application and economy, it has a great variety of attractions that merits this name.

  • Nigeria is a country in West Africa having boundaries with Niger and Chad Republic in the North, Cameroon on the eastern part, and Benin Republic on the western border and the Atlantic Ocean at the southern end. Nigeria has a population of nearly 175 million people (174,507,539) as of July 2013, making it the most populous country in Africa, and the 7th most populous country in the world. What this means is that one in every 7 Africans is a Nigerian.
  • Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, the three largest of which are the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo which make up 18%, 29% and 21% respectively. The three largest and most dominant ethnic groups are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo (pronounced ee-bo). Other smaller groups include the Fulani, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo. These various ethnic groups never considered themselves part of the same culture.
  • English is the official language of Nigeria, and is used in education, business and for official purposes. In rural areas, indigenous languages of Yoruba and Igbo are more commonly spoken. There are also many other minority languages
  • The highest point in Nigeria is the mountain Chappal Waddi or Gangirwal at 2,419 m (7,936 ft). Chappal Waddi or Gangirwal is a mountain in Nigeria and, at 2,419 meters, is the country’s highest point. It is located in Taraba State, near the border with Cameroon, in the Gashaka Gumti Forest Reserve and on the Mambilla Plateau.
  • The Benue River and the Niger River which the country was named after are the largest rivers in Nigeria. They join and empty into the large Niger Delta. The Benué River, previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately 1,400 kilometres long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. While the Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 4,180 km. Its drainage basin is 2,117,700 km² in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea
  • Football (soccer) is popular in Nigeria, the national team known as the “Super Eagles” has made 5 appearances at the World Cup, won the African Cup of Nations 3 times and won the football gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
  • Nigeria’s national basketball team qualified for the 2012 Olympics and the country has exported a number of players to America’s NBA including Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, formerly known as Akeem Olajuwon, is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • Nigeria, with 521 languages has the fourth most in the world. This includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages.

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