General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
910,770 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
4,047 km |
|
Coastline: |
853 km |
|
Capital: |
Abuja |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Lagos, Ibadan,
Kano |
|
Official
Language: |
English |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Naira (NGN) |
|
National Day: |
October 1 |
Location and
Geography
Nigeria is located
in West Africa. It
is bordered by Benin
in the West, Niger
in the North, Chad
in the North-east,
Cameroon in the
East, and the Gulf
of Guinea in the
South. The country’s
major geographical
features are the
Niger and Benue
Rivers. The highest
elevations are in
the Eastern highland
along the border
with Cameroon. The
most extensive
upland area is the
Jos Plateau. The
dusty haze carried
by the winds even
causes airports to
close from time to
time. Nigeria covers
three climatic
regions: equatorial
in the South,
tropical in the
centre and arid in
the North. Rainfall
is heavy set in the
South along the
coast but decreases
sharply inland. The
dry and rainy
seasons are fairly
distinct.
Demography
|
Population:
|
120.00 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
39 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
17 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
100 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 45 years,
Female: 46 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
46.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
65.40 percent
(2001) |
Economy
The Nigerian economy
used to be based on
agriculture until
the discovery of oil
in the late 1960s.
Today, Nigeria is
the world’s seventh
largest producer of
crude oil and its
oil and natural gas
deposits represent
the major economic
assets of the
country. The other
natural resources
include tin,
columbite, uranium,
iron ore, coal,
limestone, lead and
zinc. Domestically
produced consumer
goods include
textiles, beverages,
lumber, furniture,
plastics,
pharmaceuticals and
food products. Other
developing
industries include
steel, aluminium,
fertilisers and
liquefied gas.
Manufacturing sector
is the second
fastest growing
sector after mining.
The emphasis on
agriculture in the
Nigerian economy has
diminished due to
the development of
the petroleum
sector. Major
agricultural crops
raised are maize,
wheat, millet, yam,
cocoa yam, peanut,
and palm oil.
Moreover, fishing,
which is the
fastest-growing
agricultural
sub-sector, is
carried out
predominantly in
creeks, inland
rivers and lakes in
the South.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
49154 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
410 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
37.0%
Agriculture,
29.0% Industry,
34.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
17334 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
12497 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Petroleum and
petroleum
products, cocoa
and rubber |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
transportation
equipment,
chemicals, food
and animals |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
US, China,
France, Spain
and Brazil |
|
