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Source: CIA World Factbook |
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa and the most populous country on the African continent. Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north, and borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south.
Since 1991, its capital has been the centrally located city of Abuja; previously the government was headquartered in Lagos. The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m.
Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and savanna in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel and the encroaching Sahara Desert in the extreme north.
Nigeria's main rivers are the Niger, the Benue which converge and empty out in the Niger Delta, one of the world's largest river deltas.
Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State contain the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon.
The climate varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north. The country covers an area of 923,768 square kilometers [more...] |