Nigeria

Mandara Mountains, Nigeria
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandara_Mountains_from_Yola.jpg
Author: Leigh Bowden

Nigeria is a major country in West Africa. Covering 923,768 sq km (356,667 sq mi), Nigeria is bordered by Benin to the west, Niger to the north, Chad to the northeast, and Cameroon to the east. The country has a coastline facing the Gulf of Guinea to the south. With a population of 152 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the 7th most populous country in the world. Its capital is Abuja while its largest city is Lagos.

Bida durbar festival, Nigeria
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durbar_5.jpg
Author: Riki


Nigeria observes the West African Time Zone, which is an hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+1), with no Daylight Saving Time. Traffic is driven on the right here. The electricity is 240V/50Hz using UK plug. The phone IDD code is +234.

In 2010, Nigeria had an estimated nominal GDP of $213.995 billion, equivalent to a per capita nominal GDP of $1,405. Its per capita GDP at purchasing power parity stood at $2,459. Nigeria is a major exporter of oil and since 2008, has one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world. Its GDP at purchasing power parity has nearby doubled from 2005 to 2007.

Abuja National Mosque, Nigeria
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AbujaNationalMosque.jpg
Author: Shiraz Chakera


Nigeria has been inhabited for over a thousand years, with recorded history beginning around AD 999. The earliest Europeans to explore it were the Portuguese and Spanish. Nigeria was a British protectorate from 1901 until 1 October, 1960, when it gained its independence from Britain.

Although the oil-rich Niger Delta provided billions of dollars in oil money in the 1970's, the wealth was squandered by corruption. The political landscape of the country remained turbulent with coups and abortive coups. Nigeria regained its democracy in 1999 with the election of Olusegun Obasanjo, who was reelected in 2003. In 2007, the Umaru Yar'Adua came to power under the People's Democratic Party. Although the elections have been condemned as unfair by international observers, the country has gradually shifted towards tackling corruption and hastening development.

Planning your visit to Nigeria

Most visitors need a visa to enter Nigeria. This has to be obtained from a Nigerian embassy prior to arrival. The international airports in Nigeria are located in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) in Lagos is the biggest in the country and is the base for national flag carriers Air Nigeria and Arik Air. You can fly to Lagos from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Istanbul, among others.

Major Cities in Nigeria

Places of Interest in Nigeria

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.