President: Olusegun Obasanjo (1999)

Area: 356,667 sq mi (923,768 sq km)

Population (2005 est.): 128,771,988 (growth rate: 2.4%); birth rate: 40.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 98.8/1000; life expectancy: 46.7; density per sq mi: 361

Capital (2003 est.): Abuja, 590,400 (metro. area), 165,700 (city proper)

Largest cities: Lagos (2003 est.), 9,529,700 (metro. area), 8,349,700 (city proper); Kano, 3,329,900; Ibadan, 3,139,500; Kaduna, 1,510,300

Monetary unit: Naira

Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and more than 200 others

Ethnicity/race: More than 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Ibo 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions: Islam 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Literacy rate: 68% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $125.7 billion; per capita $1,000. Real growth rate: 6.2%. Inflation: 16.5%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 31%. Agriculture: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish. Labor force: 55.67 million; agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.). Industries: crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair. Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, arable land. Exports: $33.99 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber. Imports: $17.14 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals. Major trading partners: U.S., India, Brazil, Spain, France, Japan, UK, Germany, China (2003).

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 500,000 (2000); mobile cellular: 200,000 (2001). Radio broadcast stations: AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001). Radios: 23.5 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 3 (the government controls 2 broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002). Televisions: 6.9 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000). Internet users: 100,000 (2000).

Transportation: Railways: total: 3,557 km (2002). Highways: total: 194,394 km; paved: 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways); unpaved: 134,326 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 8,575 km consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks. Ports and harbors: Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri. Airports: 70 (2002).

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