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Nigeria Profile |
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Quick Facts About Nigeria
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Source: CIA World Factbook
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Capital
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name: Abuja
geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Country Name
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conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
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Dependency Status
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*
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Type of Government
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federal republic
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Background
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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. In January 2010, Nigeria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.
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Branches
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Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 41.2% (male 32,059,343/female 30,662,458)
15-64 years: 55.7% (male 43,258,926/female 41,541,651)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 2,274,589/female 2,420,374) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
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Population
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152,217,341
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
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Internet Users
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11 million (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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slightly more than twice the size of California
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Area
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total: 923,768 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
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Terrain
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southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
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Climate
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varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
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Natural Hazards
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periodic droughts; flooding
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| Nigeria |
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Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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