About Nigeria (2024)

FAQs

What are 5 facts about Nigeria? ›

Nigeria boasts of the largest economy in Africa. It is projected to rank among the world's top ten economies by 2050. Nigeria has an abundance of resources including oil and gas. The Country holds the largest natural gas reserves on the continent, and is Africa's largest oil and gas producer.

Despite having the largest economy and population in Africa, Nigeria offers limited opportunities to most of its citizens. Nigerians born in 2020 are expected to be future workers 36% as productive as they could be if they had full access to education and health, the 7^th lowest human capital index in the world.

It is estimated that around half the Nigerian population today are Muslim, while just under half are Christian. In northern urban centers, however, about 95% of the population is Muslim.

Their cuisine traditionally consists of rice, potatoes, chicken, couscous, and grills. Nigerians mostly eat locally grown vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals, and meat. Starchy foods like rice, cassava, yam, beans, and plantains are very common in Nigerian cuisine.

Despite its rich endowment of resources, including oil and minerals, the nation struggles with staggering levels of poverty. Recent data from the World Bank paints a sobering picture: out of a population exceeding 200 million, over 104 million Nigerians live below the poverty line.

Many employ indirect eye contact to demonstrate their respect for the other person. It is common to gaze at the forehead or shoulders of someone they do not know well. Very direct eye contact may be interpreted as being intrusive unless there is a longstanding personal relationship.

Nigerians generally favor an indirect communication style. Non-verbal cues and gestures may convey more meaning than what's being said directly. Conversations in Nigeria may take a more circuitous route before arriving at the speaker's intended meaning.

With an estimated 53% of Nigerians speaking a form of English, Nigeria is one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world. In Nigeria, English is a co-official language alongside three other indigenous languages: Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.

What is the climate in Nigeria? ›

Nigeria is characterized by three distinct climate zones, a tropical monsoon climate in the south, a tropical savannah climate for most of the central regions, and a Sahelian hot and semi-arid climate in the north of the country. This leads to a gradient of declining precipitation amounts from south to north.

Do you need a visa to live and work in Nigeria? Unless you are from an exempted country, you will require a visa to live and work in Nigeria. Visas need to be arranged before arrival, and applications can be made online via the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Nigeria has been ranked one of the least peaceful countries in the world, ranking 144 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index report as of December 2023. Nigeria had a 2.713 score just behind the warring Israel.

Resource extraction is the most important sector of the economy. The most economically valuable minerals are crude oil, natural gas, coal, tin, and columbite (an iron-bearing mineral that accompanies tin). Petroleum, first discovered in 1956, is the most important source of government revenue and foreign exchange.

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean.

The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Baron Frederick Lugard, a British colonial administrator.

Nigeria's beauty rests in the breathtaking scenery and the complex fabric of cultures, traditions, and histories that weave together to produce the Nigerian identity in this large and multiethnic country where more than 250 ethnic groups speak more than 500 languages.