Nigeria

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Geographic regions
  - South
  - Central region
  - North
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labor and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
  - Roads
  - Railroads
  - Shipping and air transport
  - Telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Early Nigerian cultures
  - The Nok culture
  - Igbo Ukwu
- Kingdoms and empires of precolonial Nigeria
  - Kanem-Borno
  - Hausaland
  - Yorubaland and Benin
  - Igboland and the delta city-states
  - The Sokoto jihad
  - The collapse of Oyo
- The arrival of the British
- Nigeria as a colony
- Independent Nigeria
  - The civil war
  - The Second Republic
  - Military regimes, 1983–99
  - Return to civilian rule
    - The 1999 elections
    - Nigeria under Olusegun Obasanjo
      Domestic unrest and insecurity
      Bakassi Peninsula dispute
    - Controversies surrounding the 2007 presidential election
    - Nigeria under Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan
      Yar’Adua’s ill health
      The 2011 elections
      Rise of Boko Haram
    - The 2015 elections and electorate concerns
    - Nigeria under Buhari
      Recession, fight against corruption, and insecurity
      The 2019 elections
    - The 2023 elections

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Political map of Nigeria showing its international boundaries with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, as well as major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt. Rivers and key towns are marked throughout the country. An inset locator map highlights Nigeria's position in western Africa.

Night view of Victoria Island skyline in Lagos, Nigeria, featuring illuminated modern buildings, a distinctive domed structure, and light trails from traffic along a busy road by the water.

Map of West and Central Africa highlighting Nigeria in orange, with its capital Abuja marked. Neighboring countries including Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and others are labeled, along with the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Relief map of Nigeria showing major physical features such as rivers, lakes, plateaus, hills, and national parks. Key features include the Niger and Benue rivers, Jos Plateau, Mandara Mountains, and several national parks like Kainji Lake, Yankari, and Cross River. The map also marks neighboring countries and includes a small locator map showing Nigeria's position in Africa.

Aerial view of Zuma Rock, a massive, steep-sided monolith rising from flat terrain near a town in Niger State, Nigeria.

Map of West and Central Africa showing the drainage networks of the Niger and Senegal river basins and the Lake Chad basin. Major rivers, tributaries, dams, swamps, sand areas, cities, and national boundaries are marked, along with elevation shading. The map includes a small locator inset highlighting the region within the African continent.

Busy Lagos Island street scene during rainy season, with commuters walking and vehicles including a red bus, vans, and auto rickshaws on wet, reflective pavement.

A group of African elephants stands together near a muddy waterhole, surrounded by green trees in Yankari National Park, east-central Nigeria.

At a Glance

default image

Nigeria summary

Nigeria: Media

country, Africa

Videos

The Ecological Disaster of Oil Spills in the Niger Delta

The Ecological Disaster of Oil Spills in the Niger Delta

Overview of the oil spills that have plagued the Niger delta of Nigeria.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

See how Nigerian farmers employ pesticides and fertilizers to increase crop yields and agricultural efficacy

See how Nigerian farmers employ pesticides and fertilizers to increase crop yields and agricultural efficacy

Modern farming in Nigeria

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Nigeria

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Political map of Nigeria showing its international boundaries with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, as well as major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt. Rivers and key towns are marked throughout the country. An inset locator map highlights Nigeria's position in western Africa.

Nigeria

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Night view of Victoria Island skyline in Lagos, Nigeria, featuring illuminated modern buildings, a distinctive domed structure, and light trails from traffic along a busy road by the water.

A view of the Victoria Island skyline at night, Lagos

© Bassey/stock.adobe.com

Map of West and Central Africa highlighting Nigeria in orange, with its capital Abuja marked. Neighboring countries including Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and others are labeled, along with the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Nigeria

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Relief map of Nigeria showing major physical features such as rivers, lakes, plateaus, hills, and national parks. Key features include the Niger and Benue rivers, Jos Plateau, Mandara Mountains, and several national parks like Kainji Lake, Yankari, and Cross River. The map also marks neighboring countries and includes a small locator map showing Nigeria's position in Africa.

Nigeria

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Aerial view of Zuma Rock, a massive, steep-sided monolith rising from flat terrain near a town in Niger State, Nigeria.

An aerial view of Zuma Rock, a large inselberg near Abuja, Nigeria

© Terver/stock.adobe.com

Map of West and Central Africa showing the drainage networks of the Niger and Senegal river basins and the Lake Chad basin. Major rivers, tributaries, dams, swamps, sand areas, cities, and national boundaries are marked, along with elevation shading. The map includes a small locator inset highlighting the region within the African continent.

The Niger and Sénégal river basins and the Lake Chad basin and their drainage networks

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Busy Lagos Island street scene during rainy season, with commuters walking and vehicles including a red bus, vans, and auto rickshaws on wet, reflective pavement.

Pedestrians and motorists during the rainy season in Lagos

© peeterv/Getty Images

A group of African elephants stands together near a muddy waterhole, surrounded by green trees in Yankari National Park, east-central Nigeria.

Yankari National Park

African elephants in Yankari National Park, east-central Nigeria.

Peter Garland/Tsumo9

Hausa musicians

Hausa musicians

Hausa musicians performing at the court of the amir of Zaria, northern Nigeria.

Gerhard Kubik

Yoruba women dancing

Yoruba women dancing

Yoruba women performing a dance.

Frank Speed

A woman stands in a millet field near Maradi, Nigeria, pouring grains from a large gourd to remove the husks, with green crops and blue sky in the background.

Removing husks from millet

A woman removing the husks from grains of millet near Maradi, Nigeria.

Daniel Berehulak—Reportage/Getty Images

Nigerian two hundred-naira banknote

Nigerian two hundred-naira banknote

Two hundred-naira banknote from Nigeria (front side).

Image source: Audrius Tomonis - www.banknotes.com

Funmilayo Sessi, head of the Nigeria Labour Congress Lagos council, holds a microphone and addresses workers at a rally in Ikeja, surrounded by union members and a crowd.

Nigeria: Funmilayo Sessi, organized labor leader

Funmilayo Sessi, chair of the Nigeria Labour Congress–Lagos State Council, speaking...

Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images

Nigeria: National Assembly

Nigeria: National Assembly

National Assembly building, Abuja, Nigeria.

Shiraz Chaker

Political map of Nigeria from 1996 showing state boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries. Each state is labeled, with the capital Abuja marked in the center, and surrounding countries including Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon are outlined. A small inset map shows Nigeria's location within Africa.

Nigeria administrative boundaries in 1996

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria: Housing in Dareta

Nigeria: Housing in Dareta

Health care workers near a thatch-roofed mud dwelling in the village of Dareta, Zamfara...

Sunday Alamba—AP/Shutterstock.com

Nigeria: Architecture

Nigeria: Architecture

Clay houses decorated with low-relief ornament and vibrant designs, exhibiting contemporary...

(centre right) Frank Willett

Three girls in school uniforms look at books inside the I-Read mobile library van in Lagos, Nigeria. Shelves of books are visible in the background.

Nigeria: Education

Girls from the Bethel Nursery and Primary School in Lagos browsing through the books...

Stefan Heunis—AFP/Getty Images

Zaria, Nigeria: Ahmadu Bello University

Zaria, Nigeria: Ahmadu Bello University

Senate Building, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Chippla

A bride and groom stand surrounded by family and friends in colorful traditional Nigerian attire, posing for a group photo outside a building.

Wedding in Nigeria

A bride and groom posing with their wedding guests in Nigeria.

© lydia/Shutterstock.com

Nok head

Nok head

A Nok head, made of terra-cotta.

Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, Friends Endowment Fund (52:1996) www.slam.org.

King Sunny Ade

King Sunny Ade

Nigerian bandleader King Sunny Ade is the foremost musician of juju, a blend...

© Chris Water—Retna Ltd.

Nigerian playwright and political activist Wole Soyinka

Nigerian playwright and political activist Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka, pictured at the Incroci di Civiltà international literature festival,...

© Simone Padovani—Awakening/Getty Images

Nok pottery head

Nok pottery head

Pottery head found at Nok, Nigeria.

Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund (1995.21), www.clevelandart.org

Ornate leaded bronze staff head from Igbo Ukwu, Nigeria, featuring intricate openwork patterns and loops adorned with colored glass and stone beads, displayed on a stand.

Leaded bronze ceremonial object

A leaded bronze ceremonial object, thought to have been the head of a staff, decorated...

© Werner Forman—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Map of western Africa showing the greatest territorial extent of major historical states from the 11th to 16th centuries. The 14th-century Kingdom of Mali is outlined in green, the 16th-century Songhai Empire in purple, and the 16th-century Hausa Bakwai states in red. Major cities, rivers, and regional names are labeled within and around these territories.

Principal kingdoms and peoples of western Africa, 11th–16th centuries

Map showing the principal kingdoms (at their greatest territorial extent) and peoples...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of western Africa showing the locations and territorial extents of major kingdoms and peoples from the 17th to 19th centuries. The Hausa Bakwai states are outlined in orange, representing their largest area in the 17th-18th centuries, while the Fulani kingdom is outlined in green, showing its 19th-century peak. Major cities, rivers, and regions such as the Niger and Benue Rivers, the Bauchi Highlands, and the Adamawa Plateau are labeled for context.

Principal kingdoms and peoples of western Africa, 17th–19th century

Map showing the principal kingdoms and peoples of western Africa, 17th–19th century.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ife sculpture

Ife sculpture

Brass figure of an oni (“king”) of Ife, 14th–15th century; in the Museum...

Frank Willett

Plaque showing a warrior and attendants

Plaque showing a warrior and attendants

Warrior and attendants plaque, brass relief sculpture by Edo artists in the court...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1990, 1990.332, www.metmuseum.org

Map of western Africa in the late 19th century showing areas under French and British control in 1880, and illustrating the advance of French, British, and German colonial forces with dated arrows. French-controlled territory is shaded green and British-controlled territory is shaded purple, with major advances and key cities labeled. Boundaries between mandates established in 1919 are also marked, and an inset locates the region within Africa.

European penetration into western Africa in the late 19th century

Map showing European-controlled territories and advances in western Africa in the...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Antique map showing the northwest region of Africa as published in the 1902 Encyclopaedia Britannica. The map details colonial territories and countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, the Sahara, Senegal, Portuguese Guinea, French Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, and Nigeria, with borders, cities, rivers, and geographic features labeled in fine print.

Nigerian protectorates, c. 1902

Map of northwest Africa showing Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria (bottom right),...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Africa showing the territorial divisions and colonial possessions by European powers from the late 19th to early 20th century. Countries and regions are color-coded to indicate British, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Belgian, and German control, with independent countries and British-Egyptian condominium also marked. The map highlights the extent and timing of colonization, with most of the continent under European rule except for Ethiopia and Liberia.

Colonization of Africa by European countries

Map showing the colonization of Africa by European countries in the early 1900s....

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nnamdi Azikiwe wearing glasses, a patterned cap, and traditional attire, looking slightly to the side and smiling in a black-and-white portrait.

Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1953

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Obafemi Awolowo wearing round glasses, a traditional Yoruba cap, and embroidered clothing, looking at the camera and smiling.

Obafemi Awolowo

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria in 1960

Nigeria in 1960

Nigeria's administrative boundaries in 1960.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Yakubu Gowon in military uniform, shown from the chest up, looking slightly to the side with a serious expression.

Yakubu Gowon

Nigerian head of state Lieut. Col. (later Gen.) Yakubu Gowon, May 27, 1968.

Terry Fincher—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Odumegwu Ojukwu in military uniform with a peaked cap and decorative cords, looking at the camera, circa 1966.

Odumegwu Ojukwu

Lieut. Col. (later Gen.) Odumegwu Ojukwu, pictured here c. 1966, led the secessionist...

Keystone Features—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Map of Africa highlighting the location of Biafra, the former secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria, shown in orange within Nigeria and bordered by Cameroon to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Surrounding countries and the continent's outline provide geographic context.

Biafra (1967–70)

Map showing the Republic of Biafra, which existed from 1967 to 1970.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

General Sani Abacha in military uniform walks past rows of Nigerian soldiers standing at attention with rifles during a formal inspection in Abuja, Nigeria.

Gen. Sani Abacha

Nigerian head of state Gen. Sani Abacha walking past troops in Abuja, Nigeria, in...

Issouf Sanogo—AFP/Getty Images

President Olusegun Obasanjo receives the government's seals from outgoing President General Abdulsalami Abubakar during the swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria.

Olusegun Obasanjo and Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar

Outgoing Nigerian president Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar (second from right) handing the...

© Jean-Philippe Ksiazek—AFP/Getty Images

President Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria, wearing a white robe and sash, waves from an open vehicle flanked by uniformed military officers at his inauguration ceremony in Abuja.

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

From 2007 to 2010, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua served as president of Nigeria.

© Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images

President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan, wearing a black hat and traditional attire, speaks at the United Nations podium with the UN emblem visible in front.

Goodluck Jonathan

The president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, addresses the United Nations General...

Cia Pak/UN Photo

Two men walk past heavily damaged corner shops and debris outside Bompai police barracks in Kano, Nigeria, with burned remains and rubble scattered on the ground.

Boko Haram

Two residents passing by buildings damaged in a Boko Haram attack in Kano, Nigeria,...

Aminu Abubakar—AFP/Getty Images

Map of Nigeria highlighting in red the northeastern states where Boko Haram has been most active, including Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, and parts of Bauchi and Kano. The map shows state boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries in West Africa.

Boko Haram activity in Nigeria

Areas in Nigeria where Boko Haram was most active.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Desks with the names of the Chibok schoolgirls still held by Boko Haram in 2019, five years after their abduction

Desks with the names of the Chibok schoolgirls still held by Boko Haram in 2019, five years after their abduction

Boko Haram, an Islamic sectarian movement, abducted more than 275 girls from a boarding...

© Kola Sulaimon—AFP/Getty Images

Muhammadu Buhari

Muhammadu Buhari

From 2015 to 2023, Muhammadu Buhari served as president of Nigeria.

Kelechi Amadi Obi

All Progressive Congress leader Bola Tinubu, wearing a traditional white robe and red cap, raises his arm while standing on stage at a campaign rally in Lagos, Nigeria.

Bola Tinubu

All Progressives Congress (APC) leader Bola Tinubu gesturing toward the crowd during...

Michele Spatari—AFP/Getty Images

Nigeria

Nigeria

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Nigeria

The instrumental version of the national anthem of Nigeria.

Interactives

Nigeria: Religious affiliation

Nigeria: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria: Urban-rural

Nigeria: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria: Age breakdown

Nigeria: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria: Major export destinations

Nigeria: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria: Major import sources

Nigeria: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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