Nigeria

C

Natural Resources

Iron-ore deposits are widespread in the savannah region of Nigeria, as are salt deposits. Tin and columbite are found in the plateau area. Great deposits of petroleum and natural gas are located in the Niger delta and offshore in the bights of Benin and Bonny (Biafra) of the Gulf of Guinea. Nigeria also has large deposits of coal, lead, and zinc, and small deposits of gold and uranium.

D

Plants and Animals

Vegetation zones in Nigeria parallel the climatic zones. In the south the well-watered zone is partly covered by the remnants of dense tropical forests that contain hardwoods such as mahogany and obeche. Oil palms are particularly plentiful. In the plateau and savannah regions, forests give way to grasslands and to such hardy trees as the baobab and the tamarind. In the extreme north-eastern Sahel region, semi-desert vegetation prevails. Crocodiles and snakes are found in the swamps and rainforest zones. The large African mammals once indigenous to Nigeria have disappeared in the face of heavy settlement. Some antelope, camels, and hyenas live in the north.

E

Environmental Concerns

Population pressure in Nigeria has accelerated serious environmental deterioration, and a history of unstable governments has hampered efforts to conserve natural resources. Nigeria has lost about 84 per cent of its total forest cover and around 90 per cent of its moist forests, the remainder of which exist in small reserves. Woodland now accounts for only about 29 per cent (1995) of the country’s total land area.

Nigeria has an organized system of nature reserves, game reserves, and national parks in addition to a forest management system, but most management is carried on at the state level. Law enforcement and protected system infrastructure are lacking, and abuses of protected land are common. The considerable wetlands of Nigeria include vast mangrove swamps along the coast, riverine wetlands, and expansive floodplains. Protection of these wetlands is limited, however, except around Lake Chad. Desertification is a major problem, made worse by massive water impoundment and irrigation schemes. Uncontrolled grazing and livestock migration put tremendous pressure on the environment in some areas. Other environmental threats include poaching and settlement within protected areas, brushfires, increasing demand for firewood and timber, road expansion, and oil extraction activities.

Nigeria is party to the World Heritage Convention, although no sites have been recognized. One biosphere reserve has been designated under the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Program. Nigeria has ratified international agreements concerning biodiversity, climate change, endangered species, hazardous wastes, law of the sea, marine dumping, marine life conservation, nuclear test ban, ozone layer, and whaling. Regionally, Nigeria cooperates with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger in the joint management of wildlife in the Lake Chad Basin. The country also participates in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

III

Population

With more than 250 ethnic groups Nigeria is a complex linguistic, social, and cultural mosaic. More than half the population consists of the Hausa and Fulani peoples of the north, the Yoruba of the south-west, and the Igbo of the south-east. Other ethnic groups include the Edo, Ijaw, and Ibibio of the south, the Nupe and Tiv of the central part of the country, and the Kanuri of the north-east.

A

Population Characteristics

Although Nigeria is recognized as the most populous country in Africa, the exact size and distribution of its population have been a matter of great political controversy within the country. The 1963 census recorded 55,670,055 people; the results of a 1973 census were rejected by the government. Estimates of the country’s population by the UN, the World Bank, and the Nigerian government in the late 1980s ranged well above 100 million, but the results of the 1991 census showed a total of only 88,514,501. Nigeria’s population is 138,283,240 (2008 estimate), which gives an average density of 152 people per sq km (393 per sq mi). Around 48 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. The population growth rate in 2008 was 2.38 per cent; life expectancy at birth was 47 years for men, 49 years for women.