nigeria

• Lagos


  The biggest city in Nigeria with a population of approximately 17 million
• The dry season in Nigeria lasts longer the further north you go
• Vegetation in Nigeria


  • Savannah in the south
  • Changes to steppe in the north
  • Steppe near the edge of the Sahara desert
• It rains less in the steppe, where the dry season lasts far more than five months
• Population distribution in Nigeria

  • Uneven, with highest density in the south where there are many big cities and economic opportunities
  • Lower density in the north, which is more sparsely populated
• Nigeria is the biggest country in Africa in terms of population: more than 200 million
• Agriculture in northern Nigeria

  • Farmers grow yams, cassava and grain
  • Livestock farming is the most viable form of agriculture in the steppe
• GNP per head of population is higher in the south than in the north, and incomes are lowest in rural regions
• Most farms in Nigeria are small and produce very little
• Ethnic diversity in Nigeria

  • Around 250 different population groups with their own cultures
  • Around 500 languages spoken
  • Most Nigerians also speak English
  • Religious diversity, with Muslims in the north and Christians in the south
• Nigeria is a multicultural society
• Nigeria


  Rich in oil, but with a serious downside to an economy in which oil plays a key role
• Oil industry in Nigeria

  • Oil was first discovered in the Niger delta in 1956
  • Multinationals such as Shell and Texaco extract more than two million barrels of oil from the ground every day
  • The oil industry is vitally important to the Nigerian economy
• Around 14% of Nigeria's GNP comes from oil
• Oil is by far the most important export product for Nigeria, worth almost 680 billion in 2013
• The Nigerian government gets around 70% of its income from the oil industry
• Unpredictable oil trade


  Nigeria's income from oil may be high at one moment and low at another
• Factors affecting oil production and exports

  1. Level of production

  2. Conflicts between inhabitants of the Niger delta and oil companies

  3. Drop in global demand for oil
• Factors affecting oil price

  1. Increase in global demand for fuel due to economic growth

  2. Decrease in oil extraction

  3. Discovery of new oil fields
• Composition of exports for Nigeria

  • Food products
  • Industrial products
  • Other products
• Composition of exports for Nigeria

  1962 and 2012
• Around 40% of Nigerians still live in poverty despite Nigeria making a lot of money from oil
• Reasons why Nigerians are missing out on the benefits of the oil industry

  • Very few people work in the oil industry
  • Profits from oil are unevenly distributed by the Nigerian government
  • Not enough money is invested in agriculture, industry, and infrastructure
  • Widespread corruption
• Nigeria was self-sufficient in food in 1960 but now depends on imports
• Pollution from the oil industry is causing poverty and making life difficult for fishermen and farmers
• In 2014, there was another huge oil spill by Shell in the Niger delta, with around 3,800 barrels of oil leaked