Interesting facts about Nigeria. Think you know much about the country already? You can’t be so sure until you’ve read these amazing facts about Nigeria.
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- Nigeria is home to about seven percent (7%) of the total languages spoken in the world. Did you know that Taraba state alone has more languages than 30 African countries?
- There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo are the largest tribes in Nigeria.
- The largest river in the whole of West Africa is River Niger. The river flows into the Atlantic through the Gulf of Guinea and cuts off the predominantly Igbo states in the south east from some of her sister states in the Niger Delta.
- The name Nigeria is derived from River Niger.
- Nigeria is one of the oldest location of human existence. The Nok civilization is the first civilization in this part of the world (around 500 BC – 200 AD).
- It is believed that the world’s largest diversity of butterflies can be found in the areas surrounding Calabar in Cross Rivers state, Nigeria
- The longest bridge in Africa is the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos. The bridge is 11.8 km long.
- The Yoruba tribe has the highest rate of twin births in the world
- In Edo state Nigeria, there is an ancient wall at over 16000km long, which is about 2 times the length of the Great Walls of China. The walls (800-1400AD), are the longest ancient earthworks in the world.
- The Jos Plateau Indigobird, a small bird, reddish-brown in color, is found nowhere else on the planet but Plateau state, Nigeria.
- The second largest delta on the planet is located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
- Nigeria country is also the 7th most populous nation in the world.
- The Nigerian Currency – Naira was introduced in 1959
- The Northern Part of Nigeria is four times larger than the size of the whole of southern Nigeria. The north has a land mass of 719000 sq. km.
- There are Muslims in Nigeria than there are in the Saudi Arabia
- The NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) was launched in 1973
- Nollywood Nigeria is the second largest movie producer in the world after Bollywood of India.
- Nigeria became a republic on the 1st of October 1963
- The anambra waxbill bird is found only in Southern Nigeria and nowhere else in the world.
- The first Nigerian Nobel Laureate is Professor Wole Soyinka
- The first African to win miss world beauty was Agbani Darego. She was a Nigerian University undergraduate then.
- There has been 6 coups in Nigeria. The highest number of coups in African countries.
- The Biafran war (Nigerian civil war) lasted between July 1967 to January 1970.
- Nigeria has a total area of 923,768 km2
- Nigeria is the 32nd largest country in the world in terms of landmass.
- The 2 major rivers in Nigeria (River Niger and River Benue) meet at Lokoja, Lokoja state, Nigeria.
- Lagos is the largest city in Africa
- Nigeria shares border with Chad, Niger, Benin, Cameroon
- Nigeria was the first African country to eradicate Ebola disease
