Geography of Nigeria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nigeria is a western African country, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon.

Geographic coordinates: 10°00′N 8°00′E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 923 768 km²
land: 910 768 km²
water: 13 000 km²

Area - comparative:

• slightly more than twice the size of California
• slightly more than 3¾ times the United Kingdom's area
• about 0.12 times Australia's area

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

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

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

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

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

Natural resources: petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 44%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 9,570 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

[edit] See also

• Nigeria
• Towns in Nigeria