Nigeria ( Nigeria) is a country in Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon. Nigeria geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 8 00 E; area 910,768 sq km; area comparative slightly more than twice the size of California; land boundaries Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km; coastline 853 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; 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 Chappal Waddi 2,419 m; natural resources natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land; land use 65.75% (2001); irrigated land 2,330 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards periodic droughts; flooding; 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; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; 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;

introduction

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. government type federal republic; capital Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially tra; 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 (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Nigeria population 128,771,988 estimates for this country explic; age structure 3.1% (male 1,874,157/female 2,055,966) (2005 est.); median age 18.55 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 2.37% (2005 est.); birth rate 40.65 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 17.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 105.69 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 47.29 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 5.53 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 5.4% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 3.6 million (2003 est.); hiv deaths 310,000 (2003 est.); major infectious diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever ; nationality 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%; religions Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%; languages English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani; literacy 60.6% (2003 est.);

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