Nigeria is a country in West Africa and the most populous nation on the continent, often called the Giant of Africa. A land of great rivers, tropical forests, and northern savanna, it is home to an extraordinary diversity of peoples and a powerhouse of culture, from its music to its booming film industry. It holds vast oil reserves and one of the largest economies in Africa.
Long before colonisation, the region held sophisticated societies, including the ancient Nok culture famous for its terracotta sculpture, and powerful kingdoms and city-states such as Benin, Oyo, the Hausa cities, and the Sokoto Caliphate. Coastal kingdoms were drawn into the transatlantic slave trade, which carried away vast numbers of people. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Britain conquered and combined these varied lands into a single colony, and Nigeria won its independence in 1960.
Nigeria stretches from the Gulf of Guinea in the south, with its mangroves, creeks, and the great delta of the Niger River, northward through tropical rainforest and on to open savanna and the semi-arid edge of the Sahel. The Niger River, which gives the country its name, and its tributary the Benue, are its great waterways. This range of environments supports both dense farming in the south and herding across the drier north.
The Nigerian flag is simple and striking: three equal vertical bands, green on the outer edges and white in the centre. The green stands for the country's forests and natural abundance and for agriculture, while the white represents peace and unity. Chosen through a competition at independence, the design's clean simplicity was meant to speak for a young nation hoping to bind together its many peoples.
Nigeria is a deeply religious society, broadly divided between a largely Muslim north and a largely Christian south, with traditional African beliefs also enduring and often blended with the two world faiths. Islam arrived across the Sahara centuries ago and shaped the great northern emirates, while Christianity spread through the south in the colonial era. Faith is central to daily life, and the balance between these communities is an important feature of national politics.
Nigerian food is bold, spicy, and starch-rich. Jollof rice, a one-pot dish of rice cooked in a peppery tomato sauce, is a source of national pride and friendly rivalry across West Africa. Pounded yam and other starchy swallows are eaten with rich soups such as egusi, made from melon seeds, and okra. Suya, spiced grilled meat skewers, is a favourite street food, and plantains, beans, and fiery pepper sauces feature throughout.
Agriculture employs a large share of Nigerians and feeds the nation, even though oil dominates export earnings. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of yams and a major grower of cassava, and it produces sorghum, millet, rice, maize, cocoa, and oil palm. Farming ranges from smallholder plots in the humid south to grain and livestock in the northern savanna. Reducing dependence on imported food and on oil revenue is a central national goal.
Independence in 1960 was soon tested by the Biafran civil war of 1967 to 1970, a tragic conflict over the secession of the southeast that cost enormous loss of life. Decades of military rule followed before Nigeria returned to civilian democracy in 1999. In culture, the country has become a continental and global force, with Nollywood among the most prolific film industries in the world and Afrobeats music reaching audiences everywhere.
Nigeria has a population of well over 200 million people, by far the largest in Africa, and it is growing fast with a very young population, on track to become one of the most populous countries in the world. It is home to more than 250 ethnic groups, the largest being the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, speaking hundreds of languages, with English serving as the common official tongue. Lagos, the largest city, is one of Africa's great megacities.
