{"id":1875,"date":"2013-10-21T18:39:38","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T18:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.populationfun.com\/?p=1875"},"modified":"2018-12-19T16:47:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-19T16:47:37","slug":"nigeria-population","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.populationfun.com\/nigeria-population\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"nigeria_flag\"<\/a>

Nigerian flag<\/p><\/div>\n

Nigeria, officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal republic located in West Africa. The country that comprises 36 states states and a Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) is bordered by Niger to the north, Chad and Cameroon on the east, and the Republic of Benin in the west, while its southern coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country With a total population of 174.5 million and ranks seventh in comparison to the world. By total area, Nigeria is the Earth’s 32nd largest state with 356,667 square miles, which translates into a density of 489.3 people per square mile. Nigeria’s capital city is Abuja, while its largest and most populous metropolis is Lagos.<\/p>\n

Brief history of Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"nigeria_map\"<\/a>The oldest traces of human settlement in Nigeria dates back to the 9th century (though humans no doubt lived in Nigeria thousands of years before this), when the central part of the country was inhabited by the Nok people. The territory was divided between several kingdoms, such as Ife, Oyo or Nri, starting with the 10th century, while the 16th century brought the first Spanish and Portuguese explorers in Nigeria. The African nation became a British colony in the 19th century and a British protectorate and part of the Empire in 1901. As nationalism started growing in Africa after World War II, Nigeria also started demanding independence and eventually became a republic in October 1960. Sudden political upheaval led to several back-to-back military coups in 1966 and the Nigerian Civil War began a year later, after the Eastern Region declared independence as the Republic of Biafra. The war ended after 30 month, in January 1970, as estimates claim that between one and three million people died in the conflagration, many from disease and starvation.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria’s political struggle continued in the 1970s through the 1990s, when the country was led by several military juntas that gained power through violent coupes. Nigeria joined OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) during the oil boom of the 1970s, but the huge revenue led to corruption within military administrations, failing to build economic stability. Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo was elected, replacing General Sani Abacha, who was found dead a year earlier. The country is now led by President Jonathan Goodluck<\/a>, elected in 2011, and Vice President Namadi Sambo. Despite showing signs of improvement, Nigeria is still plagued by excessive political corruption. Nigeria is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the International Criminal Court, and the Commonwealth of Nations.<\/p>\n