Portal:Africa/Countries/Selected country/38

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Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa and the most populous country in Africa. Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south.

Nigeria gained its independence on October 1, 1960, and now consists of 36 states and the federal capital territory. Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999, having been ruled from 1966 until 1999 (except for the short-lived second republic) by military dictators.

Nigeria is a federal republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with overtones of the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. Since 1991, its capital has been the centrally-located city of Abuja; previously, the Nigerian government was headquartered in the coastal city Lagos. (Read more...)