Nigeria - Geography
Nigeria - geography, Like most of West Africa, Nigeria lies on a low-lying
bedrock of Precambrian granite, and up to 190 million. years ago, before the
formation of the Atlantic, Nigeria hung with northern Brazil. The terrain is
essentially smooth; in the central part there is a high plateau with highly
eroded mountains, the Jos Plateau, at 1200 m altitude. From here the rivers flow
in all directions, but otherwise the rivers flow mainly to the south. Most
important are Niger and Benue, who intersect the country from respectively. NV
and NO; they meet in the middle of the country and flow south to the great Niger
Delta at Bonny Bay. To the southeast, the country rises abruptly towards the
border with Cameroon.
The climate is tropical; In southern Nigeria the temperatures are
quite constant and above 30 °C. There are two rainy seasons and two dry times,
and a high humidity makes the heat appear depressing. In Northern Nigeria, the
climate is dry and there is only one rainy season (June-August). The average
temperatures are quite constant, but there can be large day-to-day fluctuations,
from 45 °C during the day to 5-10 ° at night. From November to March, the dry Harmattan sand
and dust from the Sahara blows inland.
The natural plant growth reflects the rainfall and varies from
swampy lagoon and delta areas with mangroves and rainforest in the south to the
Sahel belt's dry bush steeple to the north. In the past there has been a lot of
wildlife in Nigeria, but many species are now few or totally extinct.
Population
Most statistical information for Nigeria is subject to great uncertainty, but
with over 130 million. According to
AllCityPopulation.com, for example, the country is among the world's ten most
populous and population growth is almost 2.4% per year. Although the many ethnic
groups each have their own language, history and culture, there are certain
common features, among others. the multi-generational extended family system in
the same household.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Nigeria? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
The largest population groups are ibo (see igbo), yoruba as
well as hausa and fulani, which represent important language
and cultural features in respectively. Eastern, Western and Northern Nigeria. By
population, Hausa is the largest group. In Middle Nigeria, tive and nupe and
the largest concentration of smaller ethnic groups, many of whom live relatively
isolated. These groups could each have been significant if they had been part of
an African state formation other than Nigeria. In addition to yoruba and ibo
also live ibibio, ijaw and edo in Southern Nigeria. By
independence in 1960, Nigeria was a federal state with three states; in 2006,
there are 36 as well as a federal territory around the capital. The
fragmentation in many states is an attempt to manage the major ethnic, social
and economic disparities appropriately. There are Europeans, Asians and people
from the Middle East in Nigeria, but they make up only a negligible share of the
total population. Foreign workers from Ghana and other West African countries
came to Nigeria in the 1970's and 1980's. They were attracted by the oil boom and
the economic dynamics, but there was also an escape from drought and a hopeless
economic situation in the home countries.
In 1960, around 15% of the population lived in cities, but this figure has
grown to almost 50% in 2006. Lagos and Ibadan are the largest cities and they
are growing rapidly. They are primarily Yoruba cities, and traditionally the
Yorubans have been urban dwellers, feudally organized with the oba (king)
residing in the city's palace. Other urban formations are the ancient Hausa and
Fulani cities of Kano and Katsina in Northern Nigeria, which emerged before the
1200's. They were important craft and trade towns for the hinterland farmers and
cattle nomads and for the trading caravans crossing the Sahara. Here, too, lies
the regent's, the emir's, a palace in the middle of the city from which
the local Hausa population was ruled by their Fulani conquerors. Kano is now a
modern metropolis and serves as a kind of capital for Northern Nigeria. In
southern Nigeria, where the residents are dominant, society is less
hierarchical; here are fewer big cities, and the village group is traditionally
the highest form of political organization.
Lagos is the city that has grown the most and here a large part of Nigeria's
investments in trade and industry have been made. The city was the capital of
1960-91, but for political reasons and to seek a more even geographical
development of the country, a new capital, Abuja, was located centrally in the
country and built from the ground up.
Industries
The large amount of oil money has led to a large increase in the number of
cars. It is difficult for the roads to follow the increasing traffic pressure.
Agriculture is the profession that employs most. There are many
different agricultural systems, both with arable farming and nomadic animal
husbandry. Just over a third of the area is cultivated. In particular, the large
rainfall differences determine the distribution of crops. To the north,
drought-tolerant crops such as millet, sorghum and, increasingly, corn are
widespread. To the south are grown, among other things. yams, cassava and flour
bananas. In addition, export crops such as cotton and peanuts (especially to the
north), cocoa production further south and palm oil and rubber in the rainforest
region. Over generations, a form of symbiosis between farmers and nomads has
evolved. The nomads especially keep cows, sheep and goats, and some are also
traders. After the peasants have harvested, the fields are grazed by the nomadic
animal flocks that supply fertilizer. When the animals are slaughtered and the
meat is sold, the herds are driven south, but the annual migrations have become
increasingly difficult as the traditional migratory routes disappear in modern
development. In 2006, agriculture accounted for 27% of GDP.
Industry. During the colonial period, the local textile industry was
not allowed to grow, but after independence it quickly became the leading
industry in Nigeria's industry. In the state development plans, efforts were
made to replace consumer goods imports with local production; the remedy was a
protectionist industrial and trade policy with the use of tariff barriers. It
was the state's policy that oil revenues should be invested in infrastructure
development, etc., and that the construction of the processing industry should
not be based solely on foreign companies. The state emphasized a Nigerizationof
the sector and supported joint ventures. Industry development occurred
especially in southwestern Nigeria, but the state called for some
diversification. 1980 there were approximately 100 larger textile factories with
approximately 100,000 workers, making the Nigerian textile industry the third largest
in Africa (after Egypt and South Africa). By 2002, however, the number of
textile mills had dropped to around 40.
Oil. Around 1970, oil extraction became a very significant source of
income for the country. The oil fields are located in the Niger Delta and off
the coast. Already in 1973, oil accounted for 60% of the state's revenue and 80%
of exports. Nigeria was a member of OPEC and with the major price increases, oil
income 3 1/2However, government spending rose
correspondingly, and with the subsequent fall in oil prices, Nigeria had to
borrow large foreign loans. Since then, the country has been subject to a
considerable foreign debt burden and various attempts at economic reform. The
country is still heavily dependent on the oil sector, but a wide range of
industrial companies have been built up, which is gradually becoming quite
strong in the West African export market. In 2006, the oil sector accounted for
95% of Nigeria's exports, covered 65% of government revenue and contributed 20%
of GDP.
Floods made 50,000 homeless in 2001, and the oil sector has been hit by
several explosions; oil spills have contaminated large agricultural areas in the
Niger Delta. Oil interests have sparked disagreement over the border with
Cameroon, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. Cameroon and Nigeria have brought their
case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The disputed
Bakassi Peninsula was granted to Cameroon in 2002 by the International Court of
Justice in The Hague, but it was not until 2006 that Nigeria finally agreed to
withdraw its forces from the area. In 2003, the first Nigerian satellite was
sent into orbit.
Nigeria - language
Nigeria - language, Of the country approximately 470 languages are the four
largest Afro-Asiatic Hausa in the north and the Niger-Kordofan
languages fulani in the north, yoruba in the southwest and ibo in
the southeast. There are also some Nilo-Saharan languages, such as kanuri. In
addition to English, Hausa and Yoruba, each spoken by over 20% of the
population, as well as ibo (about 17%) are official languages.
|
