15 Fascinating Facts About Nigeria That You Probably Didn't Know

The cultural-economic hub of Africa, Nigeria, houses geographic distinctiveness and natural resources unmatched by other African countries.

Nigeria is a multiethnic region, home to more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 different languages, with Hausa Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba people making up 60% of the population. Nigeria is also known to have the largest oil reserves in Africa.

Nigeria, synonymous with 'Giant Africa', acknowledges its cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and natural wealth; it is far more diverse than any other African nation.

This west African country is home to multiple languages and ethnic groups, adding to the diversity of Nigeria's culture.

The most populous country on the African continent also happens to be the seventh most populous country in the whole world, with a growing population of over 211 million. The estimated population would've been even higher if it weren't for the nation's low life expectancy and high mortality rate.

Nigeria's rich heritage, all thanks to its strong culture and diverse ethnic groups, has evolved to creatively express its vibrant nature through music, fashion, food, artisans, and the Nigerian film industry Nollywood, which is the second-largest movie producing industry in the world.

Although a fairly new country, the federal republic of Nigeria has a rich history with various pleasant and unpleasant instances that still have an impact on the nation.

Nigeria's history has seen it all, from the barbaric slavery under colonial rule to corrupt leaders taking over the charge of Nigeria, yet the resilience of Nigerian people and the vibrancy in their nature have helped them strive through it all.

Moreover, the fascinating country preserves its long-made cultural practices through the active participation of each generation in traditions such as Omugwo, Nwaboy, or Courtship, which Nigerian people whole-heartily enjoy.

It is time to dive deep into the spirited culture of Nigeria, which is going strong day by day, and learn a few facts about it. The expansive richness of this country in all fields has led us to create a detailed factual list of things you must know about it!

Check out facts about Belarus and facts about Botswana here at Kidadl for more such fun articles.

Where is Nigeria located?

Hearing about Nigeria, our mind immediately indicates its location somewhere in the African subcontinent. But where exactly does it lie? Let's find out!

Nigeria is situated in West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea-Atlantic Ocean from the southeast. Nigeria shares its bordering land area with other western neighboring countries, including Niger, Benin, Chad, and Cameroon.

These regions also share the main and third-largest river in Africa, the Niger. The Niger River, being the major river for Africa and Nigeria, owns the largest river system for uniform distribution as it plays a major role in the transportation and irrigation sectors of Nigeria.

Nigeria holds the title of being the most populated country in the world. Nigeria's geographic diversity includes deserts, swamps, plains, jungles, mountains, and the largest delta in the world, the Niger delta.

Nigeria's capital city, Abuja, is named the largest city among many others on the list in Africa. It is also an extremely populous city in Africa.

Facts About Nigeria History

It's time to travel back in time and uncover some of the historical and interesting Nigerian facts that you must know.

From the years 1914-1960, Nigeria used to have the British national anthem as its patriotic song, which was later changed to the official national anthem of Nigeria. Furthermore, in the year 1978, with a few changes in lyrics held under a competition, Nigeria got a rendition of its official anthem named 'Arise, O Compatriots'.

Nigeria is a fairly new country that was formed in the year 1914. It faced forced military rule from the period 1966-1999.

The Nigerian flag is a reflection of its natural and cultural heritage, as the greens of the flag represent natural wealth while the whites promote peace. The name 'Nigeria' was given to the region by a British journalist well known for her humanitarian contributions.

The 21st ruler of Ile-Ife, Queen Luwo Gbagida, had the Nigerian streets paved with quartz pebbles and pieces of broken pottery.

The architecture she built was also inspired by ancient American heritage. Nigeria and various other countries included in the African Union suffered a brutal history of slavery that lasted for up to 400 'years.

Facts About Nigerian Culture

The grandiose culture of Nigeria demands a special list of facts dedicated to it, so we have created a list curating some of the cultural Nigeria facts so you can enjoy learning more about the country.

Nigeria treasures any valuable creation of the Nok culture, which is known to have created prominent iron and terracotta sculptures from around 500 B.C.E. - 200 C.E.

Nigeria is home to an astonishing number of over 525 indigenous languages. Other major languages include Igbo, Ibibio, Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv, and English as its widely spoken official language.

The oil-rich country of Nigeria is the largest producer and consumer of palm oil. It is also one of the largest producers of crude oil. It is the richest country in Africa.

The first African recipient of a Literature Noble Prize was Wole Soyinka of Nigeria.

Nigeria is home to the world's 117th and Africa's leading richest man, Aliko Dangote, with a net worth of 11.5 billion U.S. dollars. He is the president of the Dangote group.

The Nigerian film and music industries are known to assimilate cultural influences, and tribal roots into their art, which is why the Afribeats evolved from here are doing wonders in the leading music industries worldwide.

Drums and percussion instruments are widely used in the tribal music scene of Nigeria, and amid many such instruments lies a fascinating instrument named the Talking Drum. As the name suggests, these drums don't actually talk but create a sound resembling human speech.

The instrument is made up of two drum heads connected by leather tension cords and can be played like any other percussion instrument.

Nigeria consists of eight national parks, home to diverse protected species. Endangered species such as Pygmy hippopotamus, Preuss's monkey, West African lion, Dama Gazelle, and Western gorillas are some of the threatened species kept in Nigerian national parks for protection.

What was the original name of Nigeria?

Did you know Nigeria was not the initial name of this great country? After years and years of existence as 'The Royal Niger Company Territories,' the country got its present name in the late 19th century under British colonial rule.

Lady Lugard of England is supposedly the one behind renaming the country by taking inspiration from one of its major rivers, called the 'Niger' river. Historical sources say the renaming happened in the year 1897.

The credit for renaming Nigeria was given to a British journalist named Flora Shaw, who covered the anti-slavery conference in Brussels in 1886.

The name was created to refer to the particular British colonized region of Nigeria. Later, she married the colonial administrator of Nigeria, who changed her name from Flora Shaw to Flora Lugard.

To conclude, Flora Shaw or Lugard was the one behind giving an artificial name to the region. Nevertheless, it was deeply inspired by the Niger River, according to her.

Lady Lugard's various humanitarian contributions to Nigeria include hospitals, universities, and schools. The fantastic contributions gave her a respectable image among Nigerians that they cherish in the shape of its official name to date.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for facts about Nigeria then why not take a look at facts about Haiti, or facts about Guyana.