| |
| Background: |
British influence
and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the
19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II
granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960.
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution
was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian
government was completed. The government faces the daunting
task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues
have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement,
and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the defusing
longstanding ethnic and religious tensions are a priority
if Nigeria is to build a sound foundation for economic growth
and political stability. Although the April 2003 elections
were marred by some irregularities, Nigeria is currently experiencing
its longest period of civilian rule since independence. General
elections in April 2007 were considered significantly flawed
by Nigerian and international observers but they marked the
first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's
history. President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA took office on 29 May
2007. |
| Location: |
Western Africa,
bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
10 00 N, 8 00 E
|
| Map
references: |
Africa
|
| Area: |
total: 923,768
sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more than
twice the size of California |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 4,047
km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km,
Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km |
| Coastline: |
853 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
|
| 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: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m |
| Natural
resources: |
natural gas, petroleum,
tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable
land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
33.02%
permanent crops: 3.14%
other: 63.84% (2005) |
| Irrigated
land: |
2,820 sq km (2003)
|
| 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: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: 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
|
| Population: |
140,003,542
135,031,164
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into
account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this
can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality
and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes
in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
42.2% (male 28,726,380/female 28,301,729)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 37,543,678/female 36,277,038)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 1,987,521/female 2,194,818)
(2007 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 18.7
years
male: 18.7 years
female: 18.6 years (2007 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.379% (2007 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
  
40.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
16.68 deaths/1,000
population (2007 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.26 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2007 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.015 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.035 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.906 male(s)/female
total population: 1.022 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
|
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 95.52
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 88.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
|
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 47.44 years
male: 46.83 years
female: 48.07 years (2007 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.45 children born/woman
(2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
5.4% (2003 est.)
|
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
3.6 million (2003
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
310,000 (2003 est.)
|
| Major
infectious diseases: |
degree of risk:
very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the
most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been
identified among birds in this country or surrounding region;
it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible
among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
|
| Nationality: |
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: 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: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria |
| Government
type: |
federal republic |
| Capital: |
name: Abuja
geographic coordinates: 9 12 N, 7 11 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time) |
| 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since
29 May 2007)
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for
a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last
held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president;
percent of vote - official results not yet posted as of May
2007 |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral National
Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats - three from each state
plus one from Abuja, members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats,
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to
be held in April 2011); House of Representatives - last held
21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party
- official results not yet posted as of May 2007; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - official results
not yet posted as of May 2007 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court (judges
appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges
are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the
Advisory Judicial Committee) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Action Congress
or AC [Bisi AKANDE]; Advanced Congress of Democrats or ACD
[Alex ANIELO]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA];
All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Alh Modu SHERIF]; All
Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic
People's Party or DPP [Umara AHMED]; Fresh Democratic Party
[Chris OKOTIE]; Movement for the Restoration and Defense of
Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo JIMETA]; National Democratic
Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or
PDP [Dr. Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir
Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE];
United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [disputed leadership]
|
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, AU, C,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Professor George A. OBIOZOR
chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador John CAMPBELL
embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205
FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal vertical
bands of green (hoist side), white, and green |
| Economy
- overview: |
Oil-rich Nigeria,
long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate
infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking
some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's
former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away
from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector,
which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings,
and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence
agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population
growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the
country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import
food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in
August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from
the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both
contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its
IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending
and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional
debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the
government has begun showing the political will to implement
the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize
the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive
wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution
of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government
began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization
of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National
Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically
designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction
and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In
November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt -
relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange
for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion
of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires
Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. GDP rose strongly
in 2006, based largely on increased oil exports and high global
crude prices. |
| GDP
(purchasing power parity): |
$188.5 billion (2006
est.) |
| GDP
(official exchange rate): |
$83.36 billion (2006
est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.3% (2006 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita (PPP): |
$1,400 (2006 est.)
|
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
17.3%
industry: 53.2%
services: 29.5% (2006 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
48.99 million (2006
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture:
70%
industry: 10%
services: 20% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
5.8% (2006 est.)
|
| Population
below poverty line: |
60% (2000 est.)
|
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.6%
highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
50.6 (1996-97) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
10.5% (2006 est.)
|
| Investment
(gross fixed): |
26.4% of GDP (2006
est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$17.86 billion
expenditures: $19.05 billion; including capital expenditures
of $NA (2006 est.) |
| Public
debt: |
10.4% of GDP (2006
est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cocoa, peanuts,
palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca),
yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish |
| Industries: |
crude oil, coal,
tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides
and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials,
food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing,
ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair
|
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-1.6% (2006 est.)
|
| Electricity
- production: |
19.06 billion kWh
(2004) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
17.71 billion kWh
(2004) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
40 million kWh (2003)
|
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2003) |
| Oil
- production: |
2.451 million bbl/day
(2005 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
290,000 bbl/day
(2004 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
NA bbl/day |
| Oil
- imports: |
NA bbl/day |
| Oil
- proved reserves: |
36 billion bbl (2005
est.) |
| Natural
gas - production: |
19.2 billion cu
m (2003 est.) |
| Natural
gas - consumption: |
7.41 billion cu
m (2003 est.) |
| Natural
gas - exports: |
7.83 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
|
| Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
4.502 trillion cu
m (2005) |
| Current
account balance: |
$12.59 billion (2006
est.) |
| Exports: |
$59.01 billion f.o.b.
(2006 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum and petroleum
products 95%, cocoa, rubber |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 52.5%, Spain
8.2%, Brazil 6.1% (2005) |
| Imports: |
$25.1 billion f.o.b.
(2006 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery, chemicals,
transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
|
| Imports
- partners: |
China 9.2%, US 8.2%,
UK 7.6%, Netherlands 5.7%, France 5.4%, Germany 4.7% (2004)
|
| Reserves
of foreign exchange and gold: |
$30.16 billion (2005
est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$37.49 billion (2005
est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
IMF, $250 million
(1998) |
| Currency
(code): |
naira (NGN) |
| Exchange
rates: |
nairas per US dollar
- 127.38 (2006), 132.89 (2005), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002),
111.23 (2001) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
1.223 million (2005)
|
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
21.571 million (2006)
|
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
an inadequate system, further limited by poor maintenance;
major expansion is required and a start has been made
domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable,
microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite
system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable;
mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available
international: country code - 234; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean);
fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity
to Europe and Asia |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 83, FM 36, shortwave
11 (2001) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
3 (the government
controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations)
(2002) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ng |
| Internet
hosts: |
1,535 (2005) |
| Internet
users: |
1,769,700 (2005)
|
| Airports: |
70 (2005) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 3 (2005) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 18 (2005) |
| Heliports: |
1 (2005) |
| Pipelines: |
condensate 105 km;
gas 1,896 km; oil 3,638 km; refined products 3,626 km (2004)
|
| Railways: |
total: 3,557
km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) |
| Roadways: |
total: 194,394
km
paved: 60,068 km
unpaved: 134,326 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
8,600 km (Niger
and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2005) |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 49
ships (1000 GRT or over) 263,452 GRT/452,012 DWT
by type: barge carrier 1, cargo 5, chemical tanker
7, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 33,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1)
registered in other countries: 26 (The Bahamas 2, Bermuda
10, Cambodia 2, Comoros 2, Panama 6, Seychelles 1, unknown
3) (2005) |
| Ports
and terminals: |
Bonny Inshore Terminal,
Calabar, Lagos, Port Harcourt |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force |
| Military
service age and obligation: |
18 years of age
for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Manpower
available for military service: |
males age 18-49:
26,802,678
females age 18-49: 25,668,446 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower
fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
15,052,914
females age 18-49: 13,860,806 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower
reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49:
1,353,180
females age 18-49: 1,329,267 (2005 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$737.6 million (2005
est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.8% (2005 est.)
|
| Disputes
- international: |
ICJ ruled in 2002
on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary
but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve
differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation
in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake
Chad in the north; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the
Bakassi Peninsula, then agreed, but has yet to withdraw its
forces while much of the indigenous population opposes cession;
the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial
Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but
imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, the unresolved
Bakasi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial
Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem
River all contribute to the delay in implementation; a joint
task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes
over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary
with Benin on the Okpara River; only Nigeria and Cameroon
have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify
the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger
and Niger-Nigeria boundaries |
| Refugees
and internally displaced persons: |
IDPs: 200,000
- 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims
since President OBASANJO's election in 1999) (2005) |
| Illicit
drugs: |
a transit point
for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian,
and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers
operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive
corruption and criminal activity; remains on Financial Action
Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List
for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering
control regime |
This page was last updated on 11 June, 2007
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