Official name of Nigeria is Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria is situated in West Africa and borders on the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east and Niger in the north. It is seaside country and has access to Gulf of Guinea. Its area is about 923 768 sq km and Nigeria is almost as big as Venezuela. The highest peak of Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2419 m. Centre of Nigeria is created by Jos Plateau. In the northeast part Lake Chad is situated. Landscape is very different, there is Sahara in the north and in the east there are rainforest. The main rivers are the Niger and the Benue. There are two seasons in Nigeria – dry and wet.

People in Nigeria

Nigeria has population of about 150 mil but this is not exactly. Nigeria is thought to be the most populous country of Africa but the amount of people is only guessed. The capital city is Abuja with about 405 000 people but the largest city is Lagos. Lagos is the most populous city in Nigeria. Lagos used to be capital of Nigeria but in 1976 national capital was moved to Abuja because it is near the centre of country. The official language is English and there are more then 500 regional languages. English was chosen as official language because some people speak English and that is effect of British colonization. Nigeria has many ethnic groups, more than 250 and they have their own culture and languages, the largest ethnic groups are Hause, Igbo, Yoruba and Fulani. Main religious are Christianity, Islam, and Traditional.

History of Nigeria

History of Nigeria is very long. First people were in this area in 2000 B.C. A few kingdoms were established since 8th century. The first centralized state Kanem-Bornu that influenced Nigeria was established in Chad. In 15th century capital city was moved in Nigeria. In 15th century also came Portuguese and were the first Europeans in Nigeria and followed by British, French and Dutch. British got to the power in 19th century. In 1960 Nigeria became independent and in 1963 was proclaimed as a member of Commonwealth (was locked out in 1955). Since this time there were many changes of government in Nigeria. In 1966 started dictatorship and military government, in 1975 there was putsch and civil government but it changed again in 1983 and Nigeria had military government again. There are still more religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims.

Culture

Because of many ethnic groups that live in Nigeria, culture is very rich and various. First sculptures were made by Nok people from terracotta and came from period between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D. In 1983 bronze casting from 9th century were founded. Nigeria has many authors who wrote in English, for example Wole Soyinka, who was the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature. Like in other nations, Nigeria’s national sport is football.

Summary

Despite of civil commotion Nigeria is attractive for many people. Government is also supporting tourism. There are beaches ideal for swimming and other sports, unique wildlife, you can admire various nature, waterfalls or visit growing cities. You should also come to know traditional life and customs.