Have a Question?

If you have a question you can search for the answer below!

Interesting Facts about Nigeria

Nigeria is a country located in the west of Africa. It shares boarders with the Republic of Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Nigeria also has a southern coastline that lies on the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is home to approximately 167 million people. It has a land area of 356,667 sq mi (923,768 km2). The capital city of Nigeria is Abuja which is located in the center of Nigeria and has a population of approximately 800,000 people.

Interesting Facts about Nigeria

  • The official name of Nigeria is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
  • The motto of Nigeria is “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress.”
  • Nigeria is the 7th most populated country in the world.
  • Prior to 12 December 1991 Lagos was the capital city of Nigeria.
  • Nigeria is a Federal constitutional republic with a President. The current president of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.
  • The country was named after the Niger River which runs through west of Nigeria. The Niger River is the 3rd longest river in Africa. Nigeria was first given this name by Flora Shaw in the late 19th century.
  • The currency of Nigeria is the Naira.
  • The highest point in the country is Chappal Waddi 7,936 ft (2,419 m).
  • Nigeria is home to the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. It is also home to a rare species of monkey, the drill monkey, which is only found in Southeast Nigeria and its bordering country of Cameroon.
  • Many languages are spoken in Nigeria with over 500 recognized regional languages. The country’s official language is English, though only a small percentage of the population can speak English well.
  • The U.S is currently Nigeria’s largest foreign investor. Nigeria supplies about one fifth of the oil required by the United States.
  • Nigeria relies heavily on its oil export and is the 12th largest oil producer and 8th largest exporter of petroleum in the world.
  • Nigeria was once the world’s leading exporter of agricultural products such as groundnuts, cocoa, and palm oil. 60% of the Nigerian population still work in the agricultural industry.
  • By 2100 it is estimated the population of Nigeria will be in the region of 730 million.
  • The average life expectancy of people in Nigeria is 47 years of age due to poor health and living conditions.
  • The main religions in Nigeria are Islam and Christianity, though there are many who follow traditional belief systems. World religious surveys show that 50.4% are Muslim, 48.2% are Christian and 1.4% follow other religions.
  • The Nigerian Film industry is called Nollywood and is the second largest producer of movies in the world. Many of the movies are exported to other African nations and to African immigrants living overseas.
  • Soccer is the national sport of Nigeria and the country has its own Premier league. The national team is called the “Super Eagles.” They have made the World Cup Finals 4 times and has won the African Cup of Nations twice. They also won the soccer gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
  • Boxing is another sport that is highly promoted in Nigeria with two Nigerian boxers, Dick Tiger and Samuel Peter, becoming world champions.

Related Articles

Interesting Facts About Uganda

Interesting Facts About Angola

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You can use these HTML tags and attributes <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>