About Nigeria

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Nigerian Flag

The Religion

Nigeria Info

Fast Facts

Literacy Rate

There is no state religion. In all states of the federation, Christianity and Islam exist. Freedom of worship is enjoyed. Churches and Mosques are found within a stone throw of another. There is, however, a significant population that still practices traditional ways of worship.

Located in West Africa, Nigeria is the population giant of Africa, with more than 130 million people. The terrain changes from the oil-rich Niger Delta in the south to a belt of rain forests inland and to high savanna-covered plateaus in the north. The population is as diverse as it is large, with some 250 ethnic groups.

Population

131,530,000

Capital

Abuja; 452,000

Area

923,768 square kilometers

(356,669 square miles)

Language

English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani

Religion

Muslim, Christian, Indigenous beliefs

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 68%

Male: 75.7%

Female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

Total: 93.93 deaths/1,000 live births (approx. 9%)

In Nigeria, a rapid assessment of orphans and vulnerable children conducted in 2004 with UNICEF support revealed that there were about seven millions orphans in 2003 and that 800,000 more orphans were added during that same year. Out of this total number, about 1.8 million are orphaned by HIV-AIDS. With the spread of HIV-AIDS, the number of orphans is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years to 8.2 million by 2010.

“The study shows clearly that Nigeria is facing an emergency situation in which millions of children are in dire need of care and special protection measures”, said Mr Ayalew Abai, UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria. “These children are the most vulnerable of all. The negative impact on the society of orphanhood of so many children is evident through the growing number of children living in the streets, exposed to the worst forms of child labor and child trafficking.”

According to an article by UNICEF: