TOTAL AREA: 923,770 sq km (356,237 mi); LAND AREA: 910,770 sq km (351,224 sq mi)
COMPARATIVE AREA: slightly more than twice the size of California
LAND BOUNDARIES: 4,047 km (2,514 mi) total; Benin 773 km (480 mi), Cameroon 1,690 km (1,050 mi), Chad 87 km (54 mi), Niger 1,497 km (930 mi)
COASTLINE: 853 km (530 mi)
MARITIME CLAIMS:
CONTINENTAL SHELF: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
EXTENDED ECONOMIC ZONE: 200 nm
TERRITORIAL SEA: 30 nm
DISPUTES: exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted; Nigerian proposals to reopen maritime boundary negotiations and redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon
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
NATURAL RESOURCES: crude oil, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas
LAND USE: 31% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 23% meadows and pastures; 15% forest and woodland; 28% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
ENVIRONMENT: recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; desertification; soil degradation
TEMPERATURE: in degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit)
Mar Jun Sep Dec
Kano 28 (83) 28 (83) 26 (79) 22 (71)
Maiduguri 29 (84) 30 (86) 27 (80) 22 (72)
Jos 25 (76) 22 (71) 21 (70) 21 (69)
Lagos 28 (82) 26 (78) 25 (77) 27 (80)
Port Harcourt 27 (80) 26 (78) 25 (77) 26 (78)
Makurdi 30 (86) 26 (80) 26 (79) 25 (78)
PRECIPITATION: in centimeters (inches)
Mar Jun Sep Dec
Kano 0 (0.1) 12 (4.7) 14 (5.4) 0 (0.0)
Maiduguri 0 (0.0) 8 (3.1) 11 (4.4) 0 (0.0)
Jos 2 (0.9) 23 (9.0) 22 (8.6) 0 (0.1)
Lagos 10 (3.9) 34 (13.2) 21 (8.4) 4 (1.6)
Port Harcourt 19 (7.4) 27 (10.6) 44 (17.4) 3 (1.3)
ETHNIC DIVISIONS: more than 250 tribal groups; Hausa and Fulani of the north, Yoruba of the southwest, and Ibos of the southeast make up 65% of the population; about 27,000 non-Africans
LANGUAGE: English (official); Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and several other languages also widely used
LITERACY: 25-30%
LABOR FORCE: 45-50 million (1984 est.); 54% agriculture, 19% industry, commerce, and services, 15% government; 49% of population of working age (1985)
ORGANIZED LABOR: 3,520,000 wage earners belong to 42 recognized trade unions, which come under a single national labor federation--the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC)
.GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA
LONG-FORM NAME: Federal Republic of Nigeria
TYPE: military government since 31 December 1983
CAPITAL: Lagos
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 21 states and 1 territory*; Abuja Capital Territory*, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bendel, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Gongola, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto
INDEPENDENCE: 1 October 1960 (from UK)
CONSTITUTION: 1 October 1979, amended 9 February 1984
LEGAL SYSTEM: based on English common law and Islamic and tribal law
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Independence Day, 1 October (1960)
BRANCHES: Armed Forces Ruling Council; National Council of Ministers and National Council of States; judiciary headed by Supreme Court
CHIEFS OF STATE AND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Ibrahim BABANGIDA (since 27 August 1985)
SUFFRAGE: none
ELECTIONS: Constituent Assembly, 23 April 1988
POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS: all political parties banned after 31 December 1983
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION: Ambassador Hamzat AHMADU; Chancery at 2201 M Street NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 822-1500; there are Nigerian Consulates General in Atlanta, New York and San Francisco
U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE POST: Ambassador Princeton N. LYMAN; Embassy at 2 Eleke Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos (mailing address is P. O. Box 554, Lagos); telephone a US Consulate General in Kaduna
FLAG: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green
.ECONOMY OF NIGERIA
OVERVIEW: In 1987 real GDP fell slightly as lower oil revenues and a poor harvest took their effect on the economy. Oil earnings, which account for only 16% of GDP but 95% of export earnings and 70% of government revenue, fell by about 7%. Agricultural production, generating 28% of GDP, decreased by at least 10% because of adverse rainfall patterns. Manufacturing rose an estimated 6% and contributed 12% to GDP. The government is continuing an economic adjustment program to reduce Nigeria's dependence on oil and to help create a basis for sustainable noninflationary growth.
GNP: $78.0 billion, per capita $720; real growth rate - 2.6% (1987)
AGRICULTURE: peanuts, cotton, cocoa, rubber, yams, cassava, sorghum, palm kernels, millet, corn, rice; livestock; an illegal producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
HIGHWAYS: 107,990 km (67,061 mi) total 30,019 km paved (mostly bituminous-surface treatment); 25,411 km laterite, gravel, crushed stone, improved earth; 52,560 km unimproved
INLAND WATERWAYS: 8,575 km (5,328 mi) consisting of Niger and Benue Rivers and smaller rivers and creeks
PIPELINES: 2,042 km (1,268 mi) crude oil; 500 km (311 mi) natural gas; 3,000 km 1,864 mi) refined products
PORTS: Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Onne, Sapele
MERCHANT MARINE: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 523,309 GRT/792,830 DWT; includes 26 cargo, 1 refrigerated, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 6 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
CIVIL AIR: 76 major transport aircraft
AIRPORTS: 86 total, 77 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: above-average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress; radio relay and cable routes; 155,000 telephones; stations--37 AM, 19 FM, 38 TV; 2 satellite stations with 2 Atlantic and 1 Indian Ocean antennas; domestic satellite system with 19 stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable
.DEFENSE FORCES OF NIGERIA
BRANCHES: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
MILITARY MANPOWER: males 15-49, 26,510,655; 15,145,419 fit for military service; 1,227,866 reach military age (18) annually
MILITARY BUDGET: NA
.TRAVEL IN NIGERIA
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Passport and visa required. Visa, no charge, valid 1 entry within 3 months, 1 photo needed. All persons must carry passport and onward ticket at all times. Vaccination certificate not required unless arriving from an area infected with yellow fever.
HEALTH: Tapwater is not potable. Unwashed raw foods or undercooked meats are not safe to eat. Malaria suppressants are recommended. Health requirements change; check latest information.
FOREIGN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, 575 Lexington Ave., New York, NY; Tel 212-715-7200
TOURIST OFFICES: Nigerian Information Service Center, 2215 M St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, Tel 202-822-1680. Nigerian Tourist Board, Tafawa Balesa Square, Lagos, Nigeria, Tel 883364, 884187, 882403.
WEATHER AND CLOTHING: Tropical wash-and-wear clothing and rainwear are recommended.
TELEPHONE: When direct dialing to Nigeria from the U.S., dial 011 (international access code) + 234 [country code] + (city code) + local number.
TIME: 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time, and 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 230V
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Good Friday and Easter Monday (variable); Worker's Day (May 1); Id al-Fitr (variable); National Day (Oct 1); Id al-Kabir (variable); Prophet's Birthday (variable); Christmas Day (Dec 25); Boxing Day (Dec 26).
IMPORTANT!! All requirements/recommendations are subject to change. Be sure to check latest information.