Nigeria

Nigeria is located in West Africa. The country borders to the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east and Niger in the north. Nigeria’s coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south. The capital, Abuja, is located in the middle of the country. The name Nigeria was taken from the River Niger running through the country. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with a population of 141 million people. The three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. English is the official language, but Hausa is the most widely spoken language in the country.

Nigeria has a very varied landscape. The landscape consists of hills, beaches, rainforests, savannah and a little bit of the Sahara. Nigeria is the third richest country in Africa; with one of the fastest growing economy in the world. The main exports in Nigeria are petroleum, cocoa and rubber. The life expectancy is 52 years for men and 53 years for women.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Nigeria at the end of the 15th century. At the beginning of the 19th century the British started to gain control of the Lagos area, which later become a British colony. Nigeria gained its independence in 1960.

The flag of Nigeria has three equal vertical bands of green, white and green. The green bands represent the forests and abundant natural wealth of Nigeria while the white band represents peace.