Top 10 Facts About
Nigeria


10. Most Populous Country in
Africa

Nigeria is the most populous
country in Africa and the 8 th
most populous in the world with
a population of more than 160
million people. The next African
country to come close is Ethiopia
with a population count of 84
million. That is just about half of
Nigerian population .
See Also: Interesting Facts
about Nigerian People and
Culture
9. More Than 250 Ethnic Groups
Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic
groups however, there are 3
dominant tribes: the Ibo (Igbo) ,
Hausa- Fulani and Yoruba which
make up 18 % , 29 % and 21%
respectively.


8. Christianity and Islam Are The
2 Major Religions

The major religion in Nigeria are
Christianity and Islam. About half
of the Yorubas are Christians and
half Muslim, though many
maintain traditional beliefs . The
Igbos in the southeast are mostly
Christian; The Hausa /Fulani in
the northern Nigeria are mostly
Islamic and dominated by the
Hausa- Fulani ethnic group.
Southern Nigeria is more
westernized and urbanized than
the north, with the Yoruba in the
southwest and the Igbo in the
southeast.


7. Niger River is West Africa’ s
Largest River .

The longest and largest river in
West Africa is the river Niger
from where Nigeria derives her
name . River Niger spans about
4, 180 km (2 ,600 mi) from its
source is in the Highlands
of Guinea in
southeastern Guinea . It courses
in a crescent through Mali , Niger ,
on the border with Benin and then
through Nigeria , and eventually
emptying into the Gulf of Guinea
in the Atlantic Ocean after
passing through a massive delta ,
known as the Niger Delta or
the Oil Rivers .


6. One of the Oldest Locations of
Human Existence

Evidence from archaeological
discoveries have shown that
there was a history of human
existence in Nigeria which has
been dated to as far back as
9000 BC . The Nok civilization
(around 500 BC -200 AD) is the
earliest known civilization here.
Bonus: Interesting Facts about
South Africa,


5. Home Of Nollywood

Nollywood is the name given to
the Nigerian movie industry and
it has recently been ranked the
second largest producers of
movies in the world; just trailing
behind Bollywood ; the Indian film
industry and ahead of America ’s
Hollywood. Nollywood produces
up to 200 movies every single
week and her movies has won
half of the yearly awards for best
picture since 2005 .


4. Largest Diversity of Butterfly

Nigeria boasts in being the most
suitable habitat for the worlds
largest diversity of the most
colorful creatures – the
butterflies. It is widely believed
that the areas surrounding
Calabar, Cross River State in the
southern part of the
country harbors the world’ s
largest diversity of butterflies .


3. Ogun State Has The Highest
Number of Universities in
Nigeria

Ogun State is one of the states in
the western part of the country
and it has a total of nine
registered universities , making it
the state with the highest number
of Universities in Nigeria


2. The Longest Bridge in Africa

The Third Mainland Bridge ( in
Lagos State ) connecting Lagos
Island to the mainland is the
longest bridge in Africa— it
measures about 11 .8 km . The
bridge starts
from Oworonshoki which is
linked to the Apapa -
Oshodi express way and Lagos-
Ibadan express way, and ends at
the Adeniji Adele Interchange on
Lagos Island. There is also a link
midway through the bridge that
leads to the Herbert Macaulay
Way, Yaba . The bridge was built
by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and
opened by President Ibrahim
Babangida in 1990,


1. Largest Producers of Crude
Oil

Nigeria is the 12th largest
producer of crude oil in the world
(averaging 2, 525 ,000 barrels per
day ) and the 8th largest
exporter. Nigeria has the 10 th
largest proven reserves of
petroleum worldwide . Petroleum
plays an important role in the
country’s economy and
contributes to more than 85% of
the total government ’s revenue

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