The Federal Republic of Nigeria n a d r i listen, commonly referred to as Nigeria, is a federal republic in West Africa, bordering Benin in the. Nigeria Wikipedia. Not to be confused with the neighbouring country Niger. Federal Republic of Nigeria. Jamhuriyar Taraiyar Nijeriya  Hausahjk hnz Najry  IgboOrl d Olmniira pap Njr  YorubaMotto Unity and Faith, Peace and ProgressLocation of Nigeria shown in dark green. Return to civilian rule. Abachas death finally yielded an opportunity for return to civilian rule, and Nigeria elected Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba and former. BISHOP SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER Those whom God love, so a saying goes, He leaves His mark on them before they are born. Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba son. Capital. Abuja. 94N72. E 9. 0. 67N 7. E 9. Largest city. Lagos. N32. 3E 6. 4. N 3. E 6. Official languages. Y28c0OFUuDE/0.jpg' alt='Yoruba Fuji Music' title='Yoruba Fuji Music' />English. Major languages. Other languages1Ethnic groups2. Religion. See Religion in Nigeria. Demonym. Nigerian. Government. Federalpresidentialrepublic. Muhammadu Buhari. Yemi Osinbajo. Bukola Saraki. Yakubu Dogara. W. S. Nkanu Onnoghen. Legislature. National Assembly. Senate. House of Representatives. Independence from the United Kingdom. Declared and recognised. October 1. 96. 0 Republic declared. October 1. 96. 32. May 1. 99. 9Area Total. Water 1. 4. Population 2. Density. 19. 7. 2km. GDP PPP2. 01. 6 estimate Total1. Per capita6,3. 514 1. GDP nominal2. 01. Total4. 84. 8. 95 billion4 2. Per capita2,6. 404 1. Gini 2. 01. 0 4. HDI 2. Currency. Naira NGNTime zone. WATUTC1Drives on theright. Calling code2. 34. ISO 3. 16. 6 code. NGInternet TLD. ng. The Federal Republic of Nigeria  listen, commonly referred to as Nigeria, is a federalrepublic in West Africa, bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 3. 6 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja is located. Nigeria is officially a democraticsecular country. Nigeria has been home to a number of kingdoms and tribal states over the millennia. The modern state originated from British colonial rule beginning in the 1. Wall Street Money Never Sleeps 2010. Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1. The British set up administrative and legal structures whilst practising indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms. Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1. It experienced a civil war from 1. It thereafter alternated between democratically elected civilian governments and military dictatorships until 1. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa, owing to its large population and economy. With approximately 1. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world. The country is viewed as a multinational state as it is inhabited by over 5. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba these ethnic groups speak over 5. The official language is English. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims, who live mostly in the north. A minority of the population practise religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities. As of 2. 01. 5update, Nigeria is the worlds 2. GDP and purchasing power parity respectively. It overtook South Africa to become Africas largest economy in 2. The 2. 01. 3 debt to GDP ratio was 1. Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank 1. African continent,1. Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globes next BRIC like economies. It is also listed among the Next Eleven economies set to become among the biggest in the world. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and OPEC. Etymology. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was coined in the late 1. British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Lord Lugard, a British colonial administrator. The origin of the name Niger, which originally applied only to the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu prior to 1. European colonialism. History. Ceremonial Igbo pot from 9th century Igbo Ukwu. Early 5. 00 BC 1. The Nok civilisation of Northern Nigeria flourished between 5. BC and AD 2. 00, producing life sized terracotta figures that are some of the earliest known sculptures in Sub Saharan Africa. Further north, the cities Kano and Katsina have a recorded history dating to around 9. AD. Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West Africa. The Kingdom of Nri of the Igbo people consolidated in the 1. British in 1. 91. Nri was ruled by the Eze Nri, and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation of Igbo culture. Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king figure Eri. In West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using the lost wax process were from Igbo Ukwu, a city under Nri influence. Yoruba copper mask of Obalufon from the city of Ife, c. The Yoruba kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in the 1. The oldest signs of human settlement at Ifes current site date back to the 9th century,3. Middle Ages 1. 50. Oyo, at its territorial zenith in the late 1. Nigeria to modern day Togo. The Edos Benin Empire is located in southwestern Nigeria. Benins power lasted between the 1. Their dominance reached as far as the city of Eko an Edo name later changed to Lagos by the Portuguese and further. At the beginning of the 1. Usman dan Fodio directed a successful jihad and created and led the centralised Fulani Empire also known as the Sokoto Caliphate. The territory controlled by the resultant state included much of modern day northern and central Nigeria it lasted until the 1. Empire into various European colonies. Benin City in the 1. Oba of Benin in procession. This image appeared in a European book, Description of Africa, published in Amsterdam in 1. For centuries, various peoples in modern day Nigeria traded overland with traders from North Africa. Cities in the area became regional centres in a broad network of trade routes that spanned western, central and northern Africa. In the 1. 6th century, Spanish and Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin significant, direct trade with peoples of modern day Nigeria, at the port they named Lagos and in Calabar. Europeans traded goods with peoples at the coast coastal trade with Europeans also marked the beginnings of the Atlantic slave trade. The port of Calabar on the historical Bight of Biafra now commonly referred to as the Bight of Bonny become one of the largest slave trading posts in West Africa in the era of the transatlantic slave trade. Other major slaving ports in Nigeria were located in Badagry, Lagos on the Bight of Benin and on Bonny Island on the Bight of Biafra. The majority of those enslaved and taken to these ports were captured in raids and wars. Usually the captives were taken back to the conquerors territory as forced labour after time, they were sometimes acculturated and absorbed into the conquerors society. A number of slave routes were established throughout Nigeria linking the hinterland areas with the major coastal ports. Some of the more prolific slave traders were linked with the Oyo Empire in the southwest, the Aro Confederacy in the southeast and the Sokoto Caliphate in the north.