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Background:
|
 Following
nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was
adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian
government was completed. The president faces the daunting
task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues
have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and
institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO
administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious
tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic
growth and political stability. Despite some irregularities,
the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of
power in Nigeria's history. |
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Location:
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Western Africa,
bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
923,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more
than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad
87 km, Niger 1,497 km |
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Coastline:
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853 km |
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Climate:
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varies;
equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north |
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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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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural gas,
petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead,
zinc, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land:
30.96%
permanent crops: 2.79%
other: 66.25% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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2,330 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic
droughts; flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil degradation;
rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution;
desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has
suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land;
rapid urbanization |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the Niger enters
the country in the northwest and flows southward through
tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of
Guinea |
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Population:
|
137,253,133
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 and
death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in
the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
43.4% (male 29,985,427; female 29,637,684)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 37,502,756; female 36,205,442)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,944,260; female
1,977,564) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.1 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 17.9 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.45% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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38.24
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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13.99
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.26 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
70.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 73.55 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 50.49 years
male: 50.35 years
female: 50.63 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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5.8% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3.5 million (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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170,000 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Nigeria, which is
Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250
ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and
politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%,
Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 50%,
Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% |
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Languages:
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English
(official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.) |
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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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Government type:
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republic
transitioning from military to civilian rule |
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Capital:
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Abuja; note - on
12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from
Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now made
the move to Abuja |
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Administrative divisions:
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36 states and 1
territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa,
Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu,
Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun,
Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe,
Zamfara |
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Independence:
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1 October 1960
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day
(National Day), 1 October (1960) |
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Constitution:
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new constitution
adopted May 1999 |
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Legal system:
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based on English
common law, Islamic Shariah law (only in some northern
states), and traditional law |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since
29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for no
more than two four-year terms; election last held 19 April
2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president;
percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu
BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%,
other 3.6% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
National Assembly consists of Senate (107 seats, members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of
Representatives (346 seats, members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be
held NA 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April
2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
PDP 53.6%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 73, ANPP
28, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party
- PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 9.3%, other 8.8%; seats by party -
PDP 213, ANPP 95, AD 31, other 7; note - two constituencies
are not reported |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
(judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal
(judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice
of the Advisory Judicial Committee) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance for
Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; All Nigeria
Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand
Alliance or APGA [Chekwas OKORIE]; National Democratic Party
or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Audu
OGBEH]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe
MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE];
United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Saleh JAMBO] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Nigerian Labor
Congress or NLC [Adams OSHIOMOLE] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Jibril Muhammad AMINU
consulate(s) general: Atlanta and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Howard Franklin JETER
embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205
FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353 |
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Economy - overview:
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Oil-rich Nigeria,
long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate
infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is
undertaking some reforms under the new civilian
administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to
diversify the economy away from overdependence on the
capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95%
of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary
revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has
failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is
Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large
net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the
signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria
received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a
$1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic
reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002,
after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets,
making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the
Paris Club. The government has lacked the political will to
implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such
as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by
blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional
disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil
industry. During 2003, however, the government deregulated
fuel prices and announced the privatization of the country's
four oil refineries. GDP growth probably will rise marginally
in 2004, led by oil and natural gas exports. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $110.8 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.4% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
41.2%
industry: 15.7%
services: 43.1% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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60% (2000 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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11.7% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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66 million (1999
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 70%,
industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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28% (1992 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$3.4 billion
expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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crude oil, coal,
tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides
and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials,
food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing,
ceramics, steel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.2% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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15.67 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
61.9%
hydro: 38.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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14.55 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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2.256 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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275,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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15.68 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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7.85 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cocoa, peanuts,
palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca),
yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish |
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Exports:
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$21.8 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
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petroleum and
petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber |
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Exports - partners:
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US 33.2%, Spain
7.4%, Brazil 6.4%, Indonesia 6%, France 5.7%, India 4.8%,
Japan 4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$14.54 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
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machinery,
chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and
live animals |
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Imports - partners:
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UK 9.5%, US 9.4%,
China 9.3%, France 8.7%, Germany 6.5%, South Korea 6.1%,
Netherlands 5.2%, Italy 4.7%, Brazil 4.5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$30.9 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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IMF $1 billion
(2000) |
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Currency:
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naira (NGN) |
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Currency code:
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NGN |
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Exchange rates:
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nairas per US
dollar - 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002), 111.23 (2001), 101.7
(2000), 92.34 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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702,000 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,607,900 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: an inadequate system, further limited by poor
maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been
made
domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial
cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications
satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal
submarine cable; mobile cellular facilities and the Internet
are available
international: country code - 234; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean);
fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity
to Europe and Asia |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 83, FM 36,
shortwave 11 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (the government
controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater
stations) (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.ng |
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Internet hosts:
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1,030 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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420,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,557 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2002) |
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Highways:
|
total:
194,394 km
paved: 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways)
unpaved: 134,326 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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8,575 km
note: consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and
smaller rivers and creeks |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 105
km; gas 1,660 km; oil 3,634 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Calabar, Lagos,
Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 45
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 327,808 GRT/608,076 DWT
foreign-owned: Norway 2, Pakistan 1, Togo 1, United
States 1
registered in other countries: 26 (2003 est.)
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, petroleum tanker
30, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized
tanker 1 |
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Airports:
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70 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 36
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 18 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
|
1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
|
Army, Navy, Air
Force |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
|
males age
15-49: 32,665,407 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 18,763,229 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
1,452,231 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$469.8 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.9% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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ICJ ruled in 2002
on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but
the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve
differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in
less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad
in the north; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakasi
Peninsula; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of
Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the
Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ
decision, the unresolved Bakasi allocation, and a sovereignty
dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island
at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in
implementation; several villages along the Okpara River are in
dispute with Benin; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge
signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify
delimitation treaty over lake region, which remains the site
of armed clashes among local populations and militias |
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Illicit drugs:
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a transit point
for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and
North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian
narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering
center; massive corruption and criminal activity, remains on
Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and
Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies
in money-laundering control regime |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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