Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Capital: Abuja
The Nigeria Bulletin
Weekly Brief: September 28, 2015
Top Story Russia is escalating its military presence in Syria. American officials report (though Russia denies) that Russia has at least 28 warplanes deployed at an airbase near Latakia, on the Syrian coast. Russia also began flying surveillance missions in Syria with drones, a week after sending artillery and tanks to an airbase controlled by the Syrian government at […]
Weekly Brief: April 20, 2015
Africa Al-Shabab militants drove a car loaded with explosives into a government compound in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Tuesday. After the explosion, gunmen stormed the government offices and killed at least 17 people, including eight civilians and two soldiers. Security guards and Somali special forces soldiers eventually managed to secure the building, killing five attackers.
Weekly Brief: April 6, 2015
Top Story Parties negotiating limits on Iran’s nuclear program announced a framework agreement on Thursday, which they intend to finalize by the end of June. The talks had intensified ahead of a March 31 soft deadline for a deal. By Monday, three primary sticking points remained: the process of lifting restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program after 10 years, […]
Weekly Brief: March 30, 2015
Middle East Fighting in Yemen continued to escalate this week. On Wednesday, the Houthi rebels seized an airbase as they moved closer to the city of Aden, where President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was sheltered. By Thursday, Mr. Hadi had briefly sought shelter in Oman before moving on to Riyadh. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia led airstrikes against the Houthis in […]
History
British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country 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 continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.
Geography
Metric Units
| Total Area | 923,768 sq km |
| Land Boundaries | 4,047 km |
| Border Countries | Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km |
| Coastline | 853 km |
| Terrain | southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north |
| Minimum Elevation | 0 m |
| Maximum Elevation | 2,419 m |
| Climate | varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north |
| Natural Resources | natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land |
| Arable Land | 38.97% |
| Permanent Crops | 3.46% |
Economy
| Gross Domestic Product | $450.5 billion |
| GDP (per capita) | $2,700 |
| GDP Growth | 7.1% |
| Unemployment Rate | 23.9% |
| Population in Poverty | 70% |
| GINI Index | 43.7 |
Budget & Debt
| Expenditures | $31.61 billion |
| Revenue | $23.48 billion |
| Current Account Balance | $6.16 billion |
| External Debt | $10.1 billion |
Trade
| Exports | $97.46 billion |
| Export Items | petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber |
| Export Partners | US 29.1%, India 11.6%, Brazil 7.8%, Spain 7.1%, France 5%, Netherlands 4.3% (2011) |
| Imports | $70.58 billion |
| Import Items | machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals |
| Import Partners | China 17.3%, US 9.1%, India 5%, Netherlands 4.9%, South Korea 4.7% (2011) |
People
| Population | 174,507,539 |
| Population Growth | 2.54% |
| 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% |
| Religion | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% |
| Life Expectancy | 52.46 years |
| Infant Mortality | 1.01 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality | 3.5 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
| Electricity Production | 18.82 billion kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 17.66 billion kWh |
| From Fossil Fuels | 67.1% |
| From Nuclear | 0% |
| From Hydroelectric | 32.9% |
| From Renewable Sources | 0% |
