Nigeria

military government since 31 December 1983Independence 1 October 1960 (from UK)

Nigeria as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLagos

Area923,770 km2

Populationas each edition published it

118.82 million July 1990 · 244.34m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.13% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 54.7 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.5 children per woman 1990 · 4.59 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

119 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 65.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.6% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 923,770 km2

arable land 31%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 23%forest and woodland 15%other 28%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

923,770km2

land area: 910,770 km2Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California

Coastline

853km

Territorial sea: 30 nm

Land boundaries

4,047km total

Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Disputes

exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted;
Nigerian proposals to reopen maritime boundary negotiations and redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon

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

Natural resources

crude oil, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas

Environment

recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities;
desertification;
soil degradation, rapid deforestation

People

14 fields

Population

118,819,377

(July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

46Death

17Net migration

Religion

Muslim 50%Christian 40%indigenous beliefs 10%

Literacy

42.4%

Ethnic divisions

more than 250 tribal groups;
Hausa and Fulani of the north, Yoruba of the southwest, and Ibos of the southeast make up 65% of the population;
about 27,000 non-Africans

Language

English (official); Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and several other languages also widely used

Labor force

42,844,000;
54% agriculture, 19% industry, commerce, and services, 15% government;
49% of population of working age (1985)

Organized labor

3,520,000 wage earners belong to 42 recognized trade unions, which come under a single national labor federation--the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC)

Government

Military government since 31 December 1983

17 fields

Type

military government since 31 December 1983

21 states and 1 territory*; Abuja Capital Territory*, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bendel, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Gongola, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto

Independence

1 October 1960 (from UK)

Constitution

1 October 1979, amended 9 February 1984, revised 1989

Legal system

based on English common law, Islamic, and tribal law

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1960)

Executive branch

president of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, Armed Forces Ruling Council, National Council of State, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

National Assembly was dissolved after the military coup of 31 December 1983

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeal Chief of State and Head of Government--President and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Ibrahim BABANGIDA (since 27 August 1985)

Political parties and leaders

two political parties established by the government in 1989--Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC)

Suffrage

universal at age 21 President--scheduled for 1 October 1992

Communists

the pro-Communist underground consists of a small fraction of the Nigerian left;
leftist leaders are prominent in the country's central labor organization but have little influence on government

Member of

ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Hamzat AHMADU;
Chancery at 2201 M Street NW, Washington DC 20037;
telephone (202) 822-1500;
there are Nigerian Consulates General in Atlanta, New York and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Lannon WALKER;
Embassy at 2 Eleke Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos (mailing address is P. O. Box 554, Lagos);
telephone [234] (1) 610097;
there is a US Consulate General in Kaduna

Flag

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

Economy

In 1989, despite rising oil prices, the economic performance failed to meet government expectations because of higher inflationary pressures fueled by a relatively poor agricultural performance.

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

47.5%

(1989)

Unemployment rate

7.5%

(1988 est.)

External debt

$32billion

medium and long-term (December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$6.5 billionExpenditures

$7.4 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $1.9 billion (1988 est.)

Overview

In 1989, despite rising oil prices, the economic performance failed to meet government expectations because of higher inflationary pressures fueled by a relatively poor agricultural performance. Agricultural production was up only 4% following a 10% decline in 1988, and manufacturing remained below the 1985 level with only a 6% increase.

The government is continuing an economic adjustment program to reduce Nigeria's dependence on oil and to help create a basis for sustainable noninflationary growth.

GNP

$30.0 billion, per capita $270; real growth rate 4% (1989)

Exports

$8.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--oil 95%, cocoa, palm kernels, rubber;
partners--EC 51%, US 32%

Imports

$5.7 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities--consumer goods, capital equipment, chemicals, raw materials;
partners--EC, US

Industrial production

growth rate 5% (1987 est.)

Electricity

4,737,000 kW capacity; 11,270 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

mining--crude oil, natural gas, coal, tin, columbite;
primary processing industries--palm oil, peanut, cotton, rubber, petroleum, wood, hides and skins;
manufacturing industries--textiles, cement, building materials, food products, footwear, chemical, printing, ceramics, steel

Agriculture

accounts for 28% of GNP and half of labor force;
inefficient small-scale farming dominates;
once a large net exporter of food and now an importer;
cash crops--cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rubber;
food crops--corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams;
livestock--cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
fishing and forestry resources extensively exploited

Illicit drugs

illicit heroin and some cocaine trafficking;
marijuana cultivation for domestic consumption and export;
major transit country for heroin en route from Southwest Asia via Africa to Western Europe and the US;
growing transit route for cocaine from South America via West Africa to Western Europe and the US

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $662 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.9 billion;
Communist countries (1970-88), $2.2 billion

Currency

naira (plural--naira); 1 naira (N) = 100 kobo

Exchange rates

naira (N) per US$1--7.6221 (December 1989), 7.3647 (1989), 4.5370 (1988), 4.0160 (1987), 1.7545 (1986), 0.8938 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 28 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 19refrigerated 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 1petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 5chemical tanker 1bulk 128 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 428,116 GRT/680,343 DWT

Airports, 84 total, 72 usable

permanent-surface runways

32runways over 3,659 m

1runways 2,440-3,659 m

13runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

107,990Railroads

3,505Pipelines

2,042

Highways: (mostly bituminous-surface treatment); 25,411 km laterite, gravel, crushed stone, improved earth; 52,560 km unimproved · Pipelines: ; 500 km natural gas; 3,000 km refined products