Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

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.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 8 00 E

Area:
total: 923,770 sq km
land: 910,770 sq km
water : 13,000 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone : 200 nm
territorial sea: 30 nm

Climate: varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain: southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point : Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.02%
permanent crops: 3.14%
other: 63.84% (2005)

Irrigated land: 9,570 sq km (1993 est.); 2,330 sq km (1998 est.); 2,820 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues: 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

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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People

Population: 107,129,469 (July 1997 est.); 123,337,822 (July 2000 est.); 129,934,911 (July 2002 est.); 138,283,240 (July 2008 est.)
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

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 29,378,127/female 28,953,864)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 38,466,129/female 37,172,355)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 2,046,309/female 2,266,456) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.05% (1997 est.); 2.67% (2000 est.); 2.54% (2002 est.); 2.382% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 42.58 births/1,000 population (1997 est.), 40.16 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 39.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 39.98 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 12.45 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.), 13.72 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 14.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 16.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.), 0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.); 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.); 0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 70.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.); 74.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 72.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); 93.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.81 years
male: 47.15 years
female: 48.5 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.17 children born/woman (1997 est.), 5.66 children born/woman (2000 est.); 5.49 children born/woman (2002 est.); 5.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups: 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%

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani

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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Government

Country name:
conventional long form : Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria

Government type: republic transitioning from military to civilian rule

National capital: Abuja
note : on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of facilities in Abuja

Administrative divisions: 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Federal Capital Territory*, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Independence: 1 October 1960 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1960)

Constitution: new constitution adopted May 1999

Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (only in some northern states), and traditional law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
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 27 February 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results:Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO 62.8%, Olu FALAE (APP-AD) 37.2%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats, three from each state and one from the Federal Capital Territory; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:Senate - last held 20-24 February 1999 (next to be held NA 2003); House of Representatives - last held 20-24 February 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results:Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 58%, APP 23%, AD 19%; seats by party - PDP 65, APP 24, AD 20; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 58%, APP 30%, AD 12%; seats by party - PDP 215, APP 75, AD 70

Judicial branch: 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)

Political parties and leaders: All People's Party or APP [leader NA]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Audu OGBEH]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

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Economy

Standard Bank Market Watch Report - Click Here to view.

Economy - overview: Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 80% 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. In the last year the government has begun showing 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. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt - relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. GDP rose strongly in 2007, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. Newly-elected President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his predecessor and the proposed budget for 2008 reflects the administrations emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for electricity and roads.

GDP: purchasing power parity - purchasing power parity - $143.5 billion (1996 est.); $110.5 billion (1999 est.); $105.9 billion (2001 est.); $294.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - 3% (1996 est.), 2.7% (1999 est.); 3.5% (2001 est.); 6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,380 (1996 est.), $970 (1999 est.); $840 (2001 est.); $2,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.6%
industry: 53.1%
services: 29.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line: 45% (2000 est.); 70% (2007 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 57% (1996 est.), 12.5% (1999 est.); 14.9% (2001 est.); 6.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:
total: 66 million (1999 est.); 50.13 million (2007 est.)
agriculture: 70%
industry: 10%
services: 20% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 28% (1992 est.); 5.8% (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $20.5 billion
expenditures: $21.82 billion (2007 est.)

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (1995); -0.3% (2001 est.); 3.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 14.88 billion kWh (1994); 14.75 billion kWh (1998); 15.9 billion kWh (2000); 22.53 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 13.717 billion kWh (1998); 14.768 billion kWh (2000); 16.88 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Agriculture - products: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish

Exports:
total value: $11.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995), $13.1 billion (f.o.b., 1999); $20.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.); $61.81 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities:petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
partners: US 48.9%, Spain 8%, Brazil 7.3%, France 4.2% (2006)

Imports:
total value: $10 billion (c.i.f., 1999); $13.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.); $30.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
partners: China 10.7%, US 8.3%, Netherlands 6.2%, UK 5.8%, France 5.6%, Brazil 5.1%, Germany 4.6% (2006)

Debt - external: $34 billion (1994 est.); $29 billion (1999 est.); $32 billion (2000 est.); $5.815 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Economic aid -recipient: $39.2 million (1995); ODA $250 million (1998); $6.437 billion (2005)

Currency: 1 naira (N) = 100 kobo

Exchange rates: nairas per US dollar - 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: 405,000 (1995); 500,000 (2000); 1.688 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 10,000 (1999); 200,000 (2001); 32.322 million (2006)

Telephone system: further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed
domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth of this service with fixed-line subscribership nearly tripling over the past five years; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple service providers operate nationally; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 25 per 100 persons in 2006
international: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 82, FM 35, shortwave 11 (1998); AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)

Radios: 23.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (the government controls 2 broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002)

Televisions: 3.8 million (1992 est.), 6.9 million (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (1999); 11 (2000)

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Transportation

Railways: total: 3,505 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Highways:
total: 193,200 km
total: 194,394 km
paved: 60,068 km
unpaved: 134,326 km

Waterways: 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2007)

Merchant marine:
total: 55 ships (1000 GRT or over) 284,400 GRT/483,316 DWT
by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 8, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 37, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Singapore 1, Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 23 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cambodia 2, Panama 6, Poland 1, Seychelles 1, unknown 2) (2007)

Ports and harbors: Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri

Airports: 70 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 19 (2007)

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Military

Military branches: Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 31,929,204
females age 16-49: 30,638,979 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,556,755
females age 16-49: 17,288,225 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: less than 1% (1995 est.), 0.7% (FY99); 1% (FY01); 1.5% (2006)

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