Federal Republic of Nigeria: state structure, capital, population

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located in West Africa. This is the most populated state on the continent and one of its most powerful economies. This article will focus on the state structure of Nigeria, the population, language features, major cities and places of interest of the country.

Nigeria on the map of Africa: features of geographical location

The country's area is 924 thousand square kilometers (10th place on the continent in size). The state is located on the shore of the Gulf of Guinea (region - West Africa). Nigeria borders on four other countries: Niger, Benin, Cameroon and Chad. It is curious that with the last country the border is exclusively aquatic - it runs along the lake of the same name.

853 kilometers - this is the total length of the coastline of the State of Nigeria. The map also shows that the coast of the country is densely carved with deep bays, lagoons and numerous channels. According to them, by the way, ships can pass from the border with Benin and up to the border with Cameroon, without leaving the World Ocean. The largest ports of Nigeria are Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bonnie.

The two largest rivers of the country (the Niger and its left tributary of Benue) divide Nigeria into two parts: the southern (flat) and the northern (slightly elevated, flat). The highest point - Mount Chappal-Waddi (2419 meters) - is at the border with Cameroon.

The capital of Nigeria and the largest cities

In Nigeria today there are two hundred cities. Ten of them can be considered a million.

Lagos is the largest city not only in Nigeria, but in Africa as a whole. According to various estimates, it has between 10 and 21 million people. Until 1991, it was the capital of Nigeria. About 50% of the industrial potential of the country is still concentrated here.

Approximately 100 kilometers north of Lagos is another large city - Ibadan. It is home to at least 2.5 million people, most of whom are Yoruba people. In northern Nigeria, the largest population center is Cano.

The capital of Nigeria is the city of Abuja - only the eighth by population in the state. By the end of the 20th century, Lagos was heavily overpopulated. Therefore, the authorities decided to move the capital into the interior of the state. The choice fell on the small town of Abuja, located within the picturesque Jos Plateau. To design a new capital, architects from Japan were invited. Today in Abuja is the residence of the President of the country, the government institutions are located, the university and several research institutes operate.

Features of the state system

The de jure Federative Republic of Nigeria is a democratic multi-party state, although de facto all the power in the country belongs to one PDP (People's Democratic Party). The Parliament of Nigeria consists of two chambers. The total number of deputies - 469 people. Parliament is re-elected every four years.

The President of Nigeria is considered the head of state and directs the armed forces. He is elected for four years by direct and secret popular vote.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria gained its independence in 1960. Before that, it was one of the British colonies. The modern country is divided into 36 states and one metropolitan area.

Coat of arms, flag and national currency

"Unity and faith, peace and progress" - this is the slogan that contains the official coat of arms of Nigeria, approved in 1979. It looks like a black shield with a white vilo-shaped cross in the center. According to the configuration of this cross, the direction (figure) of the two main rivers of Nigeria on the map - Niger and Benue - is guessed. On both sides the shield is supported by silver horses, and above it stands proudly the red eagle - a symbol of strength and greatness. The coat of arms of Nigeria is located on a green glade, which is dotted with the national flower of this country - Costus spectabilis.

The flag of Nigeria was approved even earlier - in October 1960. The cloth consists of three vertical bands - white in the center (symbolizes the world) and two green on the sides (a symbol of the natural wealth of Nigeria). This option was developed by the student of the University of Ibadan Michael Akinkunmi. In his original project, the sun was also on the white strip, but the commission decided to remove this element.

The national currency of Nigeria is the Nigerian Naira, which includes coins and banknotes of different denominations. On the money of this African country you can see a variety of traditional images: women with pitchers on their heads, local folk drummers, fishermen and buffalo, as well as some natural attractions. The coin of Nigeria is called kobo.

Population, religions and languages

About 180 million people inhabit Nigeria today. Demographers predict that by the middle of this century the state can enter the top five of the world's leading countries in terms of population (now Nigeria is only seventh in this indicator). On average, one Nigerian woman gives birth to 4-5 children in her life.

The Federative Republic of Nigeria has not very bright demographic indicators. So, the country takes the third place in the world for infection with the HIV virus, the 10th place - on the level of infant mortality. In terms of average life expectancy of Nigeria - the 220th in the world.

The country has a very uneasy religious composition: 40% are Christians, 50% are Muslims. On this basis, clashes, murders and terrorist attacks often occur in the state. One of the main sources of religious terror in Nigeria is the radical organization Boko Haram, which advocates the introduction of Sharia throughout the country.

In Nigeria, they communicate in more than 500 languages. The most common of them - etik, yoruba, edo, igba, house. Mostly they are used for private communication, some are studied even in schools (in certain regions of the country). The official language of Nigeria is English.

Economy and standard of living in Nigeria

The modern economy of Nigeria can be described in one single word: oil. Here, the largest deposits in all of Africa are explored. The national economy, incomes and financial system of the republic are closely connected with the extraction of this natural wealth. The state budget of Nigeria is 80% filled by selling oil and oil products.

Despite the presence of rich deposits of "black gold", Nigerians live extremely poorly. More than 80% of the country's population exists on two dollars a day. At the same time, the problem of water and electricity shortage is very acute in the state.

An important component of the national economy is the sphere of tourism. In Nigeria, there is something to see: virgin rainforests, savannahs, waterfalls and a huge number of historical and cultural monuments. However, the development of tourism infrastructure remains at a very low level.

Industry and Foreign Trade

About 70% of Nigeria's working population is employed in the industrial sector. They are engaged in the extraction of oil, coal and tin, produce cotton, rubber products, textiles, palm oil and cement. The food, chemical industry, as well as footwear production is developed.

Oil in Nigeria was discovered in the early twentieth century. Today, a number of transnational corporations, as well as the National Oil Company of the country, are engaged in its extraction. Only a third of the extracted "black gold" is sent for export - to the United States and Western Europe.

Of course, the lion's share of Nigeria's exports is oil and oil products (almost 95%). Also, cocoa and rubber are exported abroad. The main trading partners of Nigeria are the USA, Brazil, India, China, Netherlands, Spain.

Tourism in Nigeria: features, nuances, dangers

Why is Nigeria attractive for tourists? First of all - its beautiful nature. In this country you can admire the waterfalls, go to the real jungle or safari in the savannah. Prices for excursions, as a rule, are very low. Local residents do not advise tourists to visit the delta of the Niger, as well as the northern regions of the country where the radical organization "Boko Haram" is very active.

In general, there are several factors that are very constraining the development of tourism in the country. It:

• Significant poverty of the population;
• High crime rate;
• Frequent religious conflicts and terrorist attacks;
• bad roads.

Nevertheless, tourists to Nigeria come and leave here about 10 billion dollars annually.

The Embassy of Nigeria is located in Moscow, on Malaya Nikitskaya Street, 13.

The main tourist attractions of the country

In the Republic of Nigeria there are two sites that are under the protection of UNESCO: a cultural sphere of Sukur and Osun-Osogbo Grove.

In the vicinity of Oshogbo, on the bank of the Osun River, there is a unique grove in which you can see sculptures, sanctuaries and other works of art of the Yoruba people. In 2005 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grove, besides historical and cultural, also has a natural value. This is one of the few sections of the "high forest" that have survived in southern Nigeria. About 400 plant species grow here.

Interesting for tourists and the capital of the state - Abuja. The most expressive buildings in this city are the building of the Central Bank and the National Mosque. The latter was built in 1984. This is a huge building with a large central dome and four minarets, whose height reaches 120 meters. It is interesting that not Muslims can enter this mosque.

Conclusion

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located in West Africa and has a wide outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The main wealth of the country is oil, on whose extraction the whole economy of the state is shaken.

In Nigeria, there are 180 million people (as of 2015). About 80% of them live below the poverty line. In Nigeria, they speak 500 languages, although English is official.