Nigeria: Background & Geography

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. Despite some irregularities, the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history.
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 - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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 agreements:
 party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, 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

See Also: