Nigeria+,+Maura+Samuel

 Nigeria: __**Timeline **__ __**Land and Climate **__ __**People and Lifestyle of Nigeria **__ __**Land and Agriculture **__ __**Economy **__ __Government __ __Tourist Information __ __Work Cited __ __Background of Nigeria﻿: __
 * British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II was granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule,eventually a a new constitution was adopted in 1999. A peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the difficult tasks of reforming a petroleum-based economy, who has been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and a rough democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.

__**Timeline: **__
 * __**500 B.C:**__ **The Nok people inhabited the area of Nigeria.**
 * **__13th century: __The Hausa, who lived in the north, converted to Islam. **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__**1800's**:__ **The Fuilani built a great empire.**
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">In the southwest, the Yoruba established the Kingdom of Oyo and extended its influence as ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**far as modern Togo. The Ibo, located in the southeast, remained relatively isolated.**
 * __<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">1851: __<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Portuguese collaborated with local kings and obas to create the slave trade.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The British tried to stop the slave trade, they launched an attack and defeated the Oba. Unfortantley, the slave trade continued until 1861.
 * __<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">1866-1874: __<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The city was apart of the United Kingdom's West African Settlements after which became a section in the Gold Coast.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1906:__ The city was then once again ruled by Nigeria.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1914:__ Then the United Kingdom's West African Settlements became the capital of Nigeria.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1960:__ Lagos became the new capital of Nigeria beacause of it's great gain of independence.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1975__: It was then changed to the state capital of Lagos, declared by the Ikeja.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1991:__ Abuja replaced it as the national capital.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__1999__: President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, assumed Nigeria had all the power needed.

**__<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Land and Climate __** The land and climate varies in different parts of Nigeria. From the North to the South, or East and West, you will see a climate change in all four areas. Nigeria is surrounded by different parts of Africa which include; Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin. As you scroll down, you find a graph that breaks down the land of Nigeria.


 * Official name: || Federal Republic of Nigeria ||

water: 13,000 sq km land: 910,768 sq km ||
 * Area: || total: 923,768 sq km


 * Climate: || varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north ||


 * Location: || Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon ||


 * Geographic coordinates: || 10 00 N, 8 00 E ||


 * Comparative Area: || slightly more than twice the size of California ||

border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km ||
 * Land boundaries: || total: 4,047 km


 * Coastline: || 853 km ||


 * Terrain: || southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north ||

highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m ||
 * Elevation extremes: || lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

__**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The People and Lifestyle of Nigeria **__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">The people of Nigeria live much different lives then us Americans. For Nigerians, their literacy rate is extremely high. Their education is no a main priority unlike most Amersican. The Nigerians lifestyle is much different too. Jobs in Nigeria usually consist on farms for agricultural purposes. Nigerians also speak many differernt foreign languages. They also believe in certain religions and special traditions. Below I have broken down subtopics and listed important facts. __Population__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">﻿<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ ﻿: __Languages:__ __Currency:__ __Ethnic Groups:__ __Religions:__ __Leader:__ __Education:__ __Infant Mortality Rate:__ __Life Expectency:__ __Literacy:__ age 15 and over can read and write __Birth-rate:__ __Death-rate:__
 * 149,229,09 (estimation)
 * Growth rate 3%
 * English
 * Hausa
 * Yoruba
 * Ibo
 * Fulani
 * Naira
 * Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups.
 * the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%
 * Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
 * Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
 * **School Expectancy-** total is 8 years, Male average: 9 years, Female average: 7 years.
 * **GDP per Capita-** $1,969
 * **total:**94.35 deaths/1,000 live births
 * **male:** <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">100.38 deaths/1,000 live births
 * **female:** 87.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
 * **total population:**46.94 years
 * **male:** 46.16 years
 * **female:** <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">47.76 years (2010 est.)
 * **definition:**
 * **Total population**: <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">68%
 * **male:** <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">75.7%
 * **female:** <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">60.6%
 * 36.65 births/1,000 population
 * 16.56 deaths/1,000 population

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__**Land Use and Agriculture**__ __<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Agriculture: __ __Agriculture products:__ __Imports :__ __Exports:__ __Natural Resources:__ __Land Use:__ __Natural Hazards:__ __Enviromental Issues:__ __Illicit Drugs:__
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Agriculture is by far the most important sector of Nigeria's economy.
 * Makes up about 70% of labor
 * The Nigerian farms produce about 80% of food.
 * The government favors that cooraporative agricultural areas.
 * The agricultural products of Nigeria can be divided into two main groups:food crops, produced for ho,e consumption, and export products. Prior the civil war, the country was selfsufficient in food, but imports of food increased substantially after 1973.
 * The most important crops are yams and manioc.
 * In the South, the most important crop is Sorghum. (form or corn)
 * In the North, millet, is the famous crop grown.
 * Agricultural expots decreased in quanitiy after after 1970, partly because of the discouraging effect of low world prices. In 1979, the importing of many foods was banned including fresh milk, vegtables, roots and tubers,fruits and poultry. The exporting milk, sugar, flour,and hides and skins was also banned. During 1985 to 1987, imports of of wheat,corn rice and vegtables oil were banned as declining income frfom oil encouraged greater attention to the agricultura sector.
 * Machinery
 * Chemicals
 * Transport equitment
 * Manifactured goods
 * Foods
 * Live animals
 * Potroleum
 * Potroleum Products
 * Cocoa
 * Rubber
 * Oil
 * Natural Gasses
 * natural gas
 * Petroleum
 * tin
 * iron ore
 * coal
 * limestone
 * niobium
 * lead
 * zinc
 * arable land
 * This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for three different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest; permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest; includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber; other - any land not arable or under permanent crops; includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc.
 * Flooding
 * Periodic Droughts
 * Potential natural disasters
 * Intense bush fires
 * soil degradation
 * rapid deforestation
 * urban air and water pollution
 * desertification
 * oil pollution (water, soil, air destruction)
 * loss of arable land
 * rapid urbanization
 * a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity.
 * **List of drugs:**
 * **Cannabis, Coca, Cocaine, depressants, Hallucinogens,Hashish, Heroin, etc.**

**__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Economy __**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Economic Overview: __Labor Force by Occupation:__ __Industries__: __Currency/Exchange Rate:__ __Unemployment:__ > || 2003 || 28.00 % || 30 || || 1992 est. || > || 2006 || 2.90 % || 27 || -89.64 % || 2005 est. || > || 2007 || 5.80 % || 65 || 100.00 % || 2006 est. || > || 2008 || 4.90 % || 65 || -15.52 % || 2007 est. || > || 2009 || 4.90 % || 60 || 0.00 % || 2007 est. || > || 2010 || 4.90 % || 46 || 0.00 % || 2007 est. ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, has undertaken several reforms over the past decade. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. Since 2008 the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt-relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his predecessor with emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for electricity and roads.
 * Agriculture Labor is now up to 70%.
 * Industrial Labor is now up to 10%.
 * Service Labor is now up to 20%.
 * Major Industries include**: 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.**
 * Nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 150.48 (2009), 117.8 (2008), 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005)
 * ||~ Year ||~ Unemployment rate ||~ Rank ||~ Percent Change ||~ Date of Information ||

**__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Government __** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Nigeria is composed of 36 states and one territory, each with elected governors and legislatures. Parliament consists of a 109-seat Senate (three seats for each state and one for the capital) and a 360-seat House of Representatives. Members of both chambers are elected to four-year terms. The voting age is 18. __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Government Type: __ __Independence:__ **__<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Tourist Information __**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Nigeria's government type is Federal Republic.
 * Independence was declared on October 1st, 1960 from the United Kingdom.

__How can I get to Nigeria?__ __What are good places to see in Nigeria?__ Nigeria has so many tourist attractions, it's a great place to bring the whole family. Nigeria has many historical places to visit from military barracks to the Old City. The weather is always warm and sunny. Though Nigeria does get rain, theres many activities to take part in if your looking to stay dry. Plan your next vacation in Nigeria! Have fun visiting beautiful scenery and learning Nigeria's history! You can see where it all begain if you just PLAN!! <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Work Cited
 * International airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt ( By plane is the fastest and most efficient way of getting to Nigeria)
 * Other ways include: bus, train, cars(depending where you live in Africa) and boat (Cruises).
 * **Abuja** is a major tourist attraction. The weather is mainly warm and sunny in Abuja. Major places to see in Abuja are the National Church of Nigeria, Abuja Stadium, Gurara Falls, and Aso and Zuma Rock.
 * **Lagos** has only a short rain season. The best places to visit are the Lagios Lagoon, Oba's Palace, Water House, Cuban Lodge and Shitta Mosque.
 * **Calabar** has many attractions that include the earliest military barracks, first Presbyterian Church, the first monorail, public general hospital, the oldest post office and botanical gardens.
 * **Kano's** main attractions include the Old City, Emir's Palace, Great Mosque and Gida Dan Hausa.


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