Nigeria




                                 Geography


Location:
     Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Benin and
     Cameroon
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     923,770 sq km
land area:
     910,770 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
     total 4,047 km, Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger
     1,497 km
Coastline:
     853 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
     200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     30 nm
International disputes:
     demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of
     which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and
     awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; boundary
     commission, created with Cameroon to discuss unresolved land and
     maritime boundaries, has not yet convened, but a commission was formed
     January 1994 to study a flare-up of the dispute
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:
     petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc,
     natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
     31%
permanent crops:
     3%
meadows and pastures:
     23%
forest and woodland:
     15%
other:
     28%
Irrigated land:
     8,650 sq km (1989 est.)




Environment:
current issues:
     soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent
     droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities
natural hazards:
     periodic droughts
international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
     Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
     Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
     Change


                                  People


Population:
     98,091,097 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     43.52 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     12.43 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     75 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     55.33 years
male:
     54.11 years
female:
     56.59 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Nigerian(s)
adjective:
     Nigerian
Ethnic divisions:
north:
     Hausa and Fulani
southwest:
     Yoruba
southeast:
     Ibos
     non-Africans 27,000
note:
     Hausa and Fulani, Yoruba, and Ibos together make up 65% of population
Religions:
     Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages:
     English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani




Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     51%
male:
     62%
female:
     40%
Labor force:
     42.844 million
by occupation:
     agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 15%
note:
     49% of population of working age (1985)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     NI
Type:
     military government since 31 December 1983; plans to institute a
     constitutional conference to prepare for a new transition to civilian
     rule after plans for a transition in 1993 were negated by General
     BABANGIDA
Capital:
     Abuja
note:
     on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to
     Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of
     facilities in Abuja
Administrative divisions:
     30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Capital Territory*, Adamawa,
     Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo,
     Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos,
     Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe
Independence:
     1 October 1960 (from UK)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 1 October (1960)
Constitution:
     1979 constitution still in force; plan for 1989 constitution to take
     effect in 1993 was not implemented
Legal system:
     based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal law
Suffrage:
     21 years of age; universal




Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
     Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of
     Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November
     1993); Vice-Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA
     (since 17 November 1993)
cabinet:
     Federal Executive Council
Legislative branch:
     bicameral National Assembly
Senate:
     suspended after coup of 17 November 1993
House of Representatives:
     suspended after coup of 17 November 1993
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
note:
     two political party system suspended after the coup of 17 November
     1993
Member of:
     ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT,
     IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMO, IMF, INMARSAT,
     INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC
     (observer), OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
     UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Zubair Mahmud KAZAURE
chancery:
     1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
     (202) 986-8400
consulate(s) general:
     New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Walter CARRINGTON
embassy:
     2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone:
     [234] (1) 610050
FAX:
     [234] (1) 610257
consulate(s) general:
     Kaduna
Flag:
     three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green


                                  Economy




Overview:
     The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be hobbled by poor
     macroeconomic management that has resulted in an average annual
     inflation rate of 60%, a growing foreign debt, and a worsening balance
     of payments. A deepening political crisis in 1993 has compounded the
     government's failure to reign in deficit spending, which prevents it
     from reaching an agreement with the IMF and its bilateral creditors on
     debt relief. Investment in both oil and non-oil sector industry has
     been undermined by corruption and squandered on white elephant
     projects that have failed to generate diversification or new
     employment.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $95.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     4.1% (1992)
National product per capita:
     $1,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     60% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     28% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $9 billion
expenditures:
     $10.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
     $11.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     oil 95%, cocoa, rubber
partners:
     US 54%, EC 23%
Imports:
     $8.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
     machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, food and animals
partners:
     EC 64%, US 10%, Japan 7%
External debt:
     $29.5 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 7.7% (1991); accounts for 43% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
     4,740,000 kW
production:
     8.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     70 kWh (1991)
Industries:
     crude oil and mining - coal, tin, columbite; primary processing
     industries - palm oil, peanut, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins;
     manufacturing industries - textiles, cement, building materials, food
     products, footwear, chemical, printing, ceramics, steel




Agriculture:
     accounts for 35% of GDP 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:
     passenger and cargo air hub for West Africa; facilitates movement of
     heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe
     and North America; increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South
     America intended for West European, East Asian, and North American
     markets
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $705 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3
     billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.2 billion
Currency:
     1 naira (N) = 100 kobo
Exchange rates:
     naira (N) per US$1 - 21.886 (November 1993), 17.298 (1992), 9.909
     (1991), 8.038 (1990), 7.3647 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     3,505 km 1.067-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
     107,990 km
paved:
     mostly bituminous-surface treatment 30,019 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 25,411 km; unimproved earth
     52,560 km
Inland waterways:
     8,575 km consisting of Niger and Benue Rivers and smaller rivers and
     creeks
Pipelines:
     crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km; natural gas 500 km
Ports:
     Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Onne, Sapele
Merchant marine:
     33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 432,704 GRT/686,718 DWT, bulk 1,
     cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 9,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports:
total:
     80
usable:
     67




with permanent-surface runways:
     34
with runways over 3,659 m:
     1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     15
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     21
Telecommunications:
     above-average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in
     progress; radio relay microwave and cable routes; broadcast stations -
     35 AM, 17 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean
     INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 20 domestic stations; 1 coaxial
     submarine cable


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 22,468,803; fit for military service 12,840,029; reach
     military age (18) annually 986,518 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $172 million, about 1% of GDP (1992)