Friday, July 3, 2009

Nigeria






Nigeria (pronounced /naɪˈdʒɪrɪə/), officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The capital city is Abuja. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BCE.[3] The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BCE and the 2nd millennium CE.
The name Nigeria was created from a portmanteau of the words Niger and Area, taken from the River Niger running through Nigeria. This name was coined by Flora Shaw, the future wife of Baron Lugard, a British colonial administrator, in the late 19th century.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the eighth most populous country in the world, and with a population of over 148 million it is the most populous 'black' country in the world. It is a regional power, is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The economy of Nigeria is one of the fastest growing in the world, with the International Monetary Fund projecting a growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009.







Capital
Abuja
Largest city
Lagos
Official languages
English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba
Recognised regional languages
Languages of Nigeria
Demonym
Nigerian
Government
Presidential Federal republic
-
President
Umaru Yar'Adua (PDP)
-
Vice President
Goodluck Jonathan (PDP)
-
Senate President
David Mark (PDP)
-
Speaker of the House
Dimeji Bankole (PDP)
-
Chief Justice
Idris Kutigi
Independence
from the United Kingdom
-
Unification of Southern and Northern Nigeria by Frederick Lugard
1914
-
Declared and recognized
October 1, 1960
-
Republic declared
October 1, 1963
Area
-
Total
923,768 km2 (32nd)356,667 sq mi
-
Water (%)
1.4
Population
-
2007 United Nation estimate
148,000,000[1] (8th)
-
Density
145/km2 (71st)374/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$315.401 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$2,134[2]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$214.403 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$1,450[2]
Gini (2003)
43.7 (medium)
HDI (2007)
▲ 0.499 (low) (154th)
Currency
Nigerian naira (₦) (NGN)
Time zone
WAT (UTC+1)
-
Summer (DST)
not observed (UTC+1)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.ng
Calling code
234









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