1.
[syn: Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Nigeria
n 1: a republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; gained
independence from Britain in 1960; most populous African
country [syn: Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Nigeria
Introduction Nigeria
--------------------
Background: Following nearly 16 years of
military rule, a new constitution
was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful
transition to civilian government
was completed. The president faces
the daunting task of rebuilding a
petroleum-based economy, whose
revenues have been squandered
through corruption and
mismanagement, and
institutionalizing democracy. In
addition, the OBASANJO
administration must defuse
longstanding ethnic and religious
tensions, if it is to build a sound
foundation for economic growth and
political stability.
Geography Nigeria
-----------------
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
water: 13,000 sq km
land: 910,768 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: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to
the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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,
columbite, iron ore, coal,
limestone, lead, zinc, arable land
Land use: arable land: 30.96%
permanent crops: 2.79%
other: 66.25% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,330 sq km (1998 est.)
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
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
People Nigeria
--------------
Population: 129,934,911
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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.6% (male 28,503,211;
female 28,156,976)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 35,418,119;
female 34,179,802)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male
1,832,682; female 1,844,121) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 2.54% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 39.22 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 14.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 72.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 50.59 years
female: 50.6 years (2002 est.)
male: 50.58 years
Total fertility rate: 5.49 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.06% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 2.7 million (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 250,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian
Ethnic groups: Nigeria, which is 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: 57.1%
male: 67.3%
female: 47.3% (1995 est.)
Government Nigeria
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Federal
Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
Government type: republic transitioning from military
to civilian rule
Capital: Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991
the capital was officially
transferred from Lagos to Abuja;
most federal government offices have
now made the move to Abuja
Administrative divisions: 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia,
Abuja Federal Capital Territory*,
Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi,
Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River,
Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu,
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 (only in some northern
states), and traditional law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Olusegun
OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note -
the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President
Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May
1999); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by
popular vote for no more than two
four-year terms; election last held
27 February 1999 (next to be held NA
March 2003)
election results: Olusegun OBASANJO
elected president; percent of vote -
Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 62.8%, Olu
FALAE (APP-AD) 37.2%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists
of Senate (109 seats, three from
each state and one from the Federal
Capital Territory; 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 20-24
February 1999 (next to be held NA
March 2003); House of
Representatives - last held 20-24
February 1999 (next to be held NA
March 2003)
election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - PDP 58%, APP 23%,
AD 19%; seats by party - PDP 67, APP
23, AD 19; House of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - PDP
58%, APP 30%, AD 12%; seats by party
- PDP 221, APP 70, AD 69
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: All People's Party or APP [leader
NA]; Alliance for Democracy or AD
[Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; People's
Democratic Party or PDP [Audu OGBEH]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO,
participation: G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK,
UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jibril
AMINU
consulate(s) general: Atlanta and
New York
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
chancery: 1333 16th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Howard
US: Franklin JETER
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 Nigeria
---------------
Economy - overview: The oil-rich Nigerian economy, long
hobbled by political instability,
corruption, and poor macroeconomic
management, is undergoing
substantial economic reform under
the new civilian administration.
Nigeria's former military rulers
failed to diversify the economy away
from 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, and Nigeria, 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. The agreement was
allowed to expire by the IMF in
November 2001, however, and Nigeria
appears unlikely to receive
substantial multilateral assistance
in 2002. Nonetheless, increases in
foreign oil investment and oil
production should push growth over
4% in 2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $105.9
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $840 (2001
est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39%
industry: 33%
services: 28% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 45% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 1.6%
percentage share: highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97)
Distribution of family income - Gini 50.6 (1996-97)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.9% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 66 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 10%,
services 20% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 28% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.4 billion
expenditures: $3.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2000 est.)
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
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 15.9 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 64.15%
hydro: 35.85%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 14.768 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 19 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn,
rice, sorghum, millet, cassava
(tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle,
sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish
Exports: $20.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products
95%, cocoa, rubber
Exports - partners: US 46%, Spain 11%, India 6%, France
5%, Brazil (2000)
Imports: $13.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, transport
equipment, manufactured goods, food
and live animals
Imports - partners: UK 11%, US 9%, France 9%, Germany
7%, China (2000)
Debt - external: $32 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA $250 million (1998)
Currency: naira (NGN)
Currency code: NGN
Exchange rates: nairas per US dollar - 115 (January
2002), 101.697 (2000), 92.338
(1999), 21.886 (1998), 21.886 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Nigeria
----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 200,000 (2001)
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: satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); coaxial
submarine cable SAFE (South African
Far East)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)
Radios: 23.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (the government controls 2
broadcasting stations and 15
repeater stations) (2002)
Televisions: 6.9 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ng
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000)
Internet users: 100,000 (1999)
Transportation Nigeria
----------------------
Railways: total: 3,557 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge
note: years of neglect of both the
rolling stock and the right-of-way
have seriously reduced the capacity
and utility of the system; a project
to restore Nigeria's railways is now
underway (2001)
Highways: total: 193,200 km
paved: 59,892 km (including 1,194 km
of expressways)
note: many of the roads reported as
paved may be graveled; because of
poor maintenance and years of heavy
freight traffic - in part the result
of the failure of the railroad
system - much of the road system is
barely usable (2001)
unpaved: 133,308 km
Waterways: 8,575 km
note: consisting of the Niger and
Benue rivers and smaller rivers and
creeks
Pipelines: crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum
products 3,000 km; natural gas 500
km
Ports and harbors: Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt,
Sapele, Warri
Merchant marine: total: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 331,094 GRT/614,171 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Bulgaria 1, Greece 1,
Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Togo 1, United
States 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7,
chemical tanker 4, petroleum tanker
29, roll on/roll off 1, specialized
tanker 1
Airports: 70 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 35
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 18 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Nigeria
----------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 30,808,598 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 17,698,911 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 1,375,112 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $374.9 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Nigeria
----------------------------
Disputes - international: Nigeria disputes several villages
with Benin along the Okpara River,
and only 35 km of their common
boundary are demarcated; the Benin-
Niger-Nigeria tripoint remains
undemarcated; Lake Chad Basin
Commission urges signatories
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
to ratify delimitation treaty over
lake region, the site of continuing
armed clashes; oral arguments on the
land and maritime boundary disputes
between Cameroon and Nigeria were
presented to the ICJ; disputes
center around Bakasi Peninsula,
where armed clashes continue, Bouram
Island on Lake Chad, and the
maritime boundary and economic zone
dispute in the Gulf of Guinea, which
also involves Equatorial Guinea;
Nigeria requests and Chad rejects
redemarcation of boundary, which
lacks clear demarcation in sections
and has caused several cross-border
incidents
Illicit drugs: a transit point for heroin and
cocaine intended for European, East
Asian, and North American markets;
safehaven for Nigerian
narcotraffickers operating worldwide