Nigeria

Full country name: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Area: 923,768 sq km (356,667 sq mi)
Population: 154,729,000 (2009 estimate)
Capital city: Abuja
People: Fulani/Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo ethnic groups (68%)
Language: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo
Religion: Muslim (50%) Christian (40%)
Currency: Nigerian Naira (NGN) check www.xe.com
Time zone: UCT +1
Climate: Variable warm / wet from desert to tropical rainforest
Alcohol availability: Available

'Welcome to the happiest nation on the planet where family values and culture are considered more important than national problems and material wealth. Visit Nigeria and you are guaranteed a friendly and hospitable welcome, where an incredible diversity of ethnic groups and religions mix in harmony. Indeed Nigeria does have an image problem, but on the whole life in the country is safe and secure as long as sensible precautions are adopted. Nigeria offers an awesome range of landscapes to explore, from superlative wildlife national parks to the wild and exuberant city life, where expatriates can find hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs.'

Nigeria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and is the world's 32nd largest country. It is comparable in size to Venezuela. It shares a 4,047 km (2,515 mile) border with: Benin (773 km), Niger (1,497 km), Chad (87 km), Cameroon (1,690 km), and has a coastline of at least 853 km. Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast through the beaches in the south; the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and savannah in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel to the encroaching Sahara in the extreme north. The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 ft). Nigeria's main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and empty into the Niger Delta, one of the world's largest river deltas.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the eighth most populous country in the world, and it is the most populous 'black' country in the world. It is a regional power, is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The economy of Nigeria is one of the fastest growing in the world, with the International Monetary Fund projecting a growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009

Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only found in the wild in southeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon.

Although Nigeria lies wholly within the tropical zone, there are wide climatic variations in different areas of the country. Near the coast, the seasons are not sharply defined. Temperatures rarely exceed 32°C (90°F), but humidity is very high and nights are hot. Inland, there are two distinct seasons: a wet season from April to October, with generally lower temperatures, and a dry season from November to March, with midday temperatures that surpass 38°C (100°F) but relatively cool nights. The far south is defined by its tropical rainforest climate, where annual rainfall is 60 to 80 inches a year. The far north is defined by its almost desert-like climate, where rain is less than 20 inches per year. The rest of the country, everything in between the far south and the far north, is savannah, and rainfall is between 20 and 60 inches per year.

Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The number of languages currently estimated and catalogued in Nigeria is 521. This number includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and nine extinct languages. In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. The choice of English as the official language was partially related to the fact that a part of the Nigerian population spoke English as a result of British colonisation that ended in 1960.

City life is wild and exciting offering a great range of social activities including hotels, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. But be warned cities are incredibly hectic places congested with traffic and people. For the outdoor adventurers there is much to explore in Calabar and its primate conservation, in Kano following the traces of the old Saharan trade routes, in the Osun Sacred Forest and its tranquil sculpture park and the Yankari National Park and its wildlife delights.