Geography of Nigeria

Nigeria is a large and exciting country in West Africa. It shares its land borders with Benin to the west, Cameroon and Chad to the east, and Niger to the north. In the south, Nigeria has a beautiful coast along the Gulf of Guinea. To the northeast, it touches Lake Chad.

Nigeria has many interesting land features, like the Adamawa Plateau, Mambilla Plateau, Jos Plateau, and Obudu Plateau. Important rivers include the Niger River and Benue River. The highest point is Chappal Waddi, which is 2,419 metres tall.

Nigeria lies in the tropics, so the weather is often warm and wet. The main language is English, but people also speak Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. Nigeria is home to many different groups of people.

Area data

Nigeria has a total area of 923,768 km². It is the 31st largest country in the world. Of this area, 910,770 km² is land, and 13,000 km² is water.

To compare, Nigeria is slightly smaller than South Australia, slightly smaller than British Columbia, and slightly less than three times the size of New Mexico.

Climate

See also: Climate change in Nigeria and Climate of Nigeria

Nigeria has different kinds of weather in different places. In the south, the weather is warm and wet most of the year. This area gets a lot of rain, especially between March and October. The temperature here stays steady, usually between 26°C and 28°C.

In the middle of Nigeria, there are both wet and dry seasons. The dry season, from December to March, is hot and dusty. The wet season brings more rain and slightly cooler temperatures.

The north of Nigeria is drier, with less rain and hotter temperatures that can reach up to 40°C. There are also cooler areas in the highlands, where temperatures stay mild all year.

Topography

Nigeria is a big country shaped by the Niger and Benue Rivers. These rivers meet and form a "y" shape at a place called Lokoja. North of the rivers, the land rises into plains. Southwest of the Niger River, there are rugged highlands. Southeast of the Benue River, you can find hills and mountains near the border with Cameroon. Coastal plains run along the southwest and southeast coasts.

Niger Delta

The Niger Delta is in southern Nigeria and is one of the world's largest river deltas. This area has many swamps along the coast near the Atlantic Ocean. The swamps are filled with mangroves and have tidal flats connected by many winding creeks and smaller rivers. Most of Nigeria's crude oil and gas comes from this region. A recent study using remote sensing found that Nigeria has a large area of tidal flats.

Vegetation

Nigeria has three main types of plants and lands: forests with many trees, savannahs with grasses and a few trees, and montane land found in the mountains near the border with Cameroon. The forests and savannahs each have three different parts.

In the south, near the Niger River and Cross River, there are special areas called mangrove swamps. Further north, there are fresh water swamps, and even further north are rainforests.

The savannah lands are divided into three types: the Guinean forest-savannah mosaic with tall grass and trees, the Sudan savannah with short grass and short trees, and the Sahel savannah with patches of grass and sand in the northeast.

Natural resources and land use

Nigeria has many useful materials from nature, such as petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas, hydropower, and arable land. These resources help the country’s economy by providing energy and building materials. The land is also used for farming, which helps feed many people.

Extreme points

This section lists the farthest points of Nigeria, showing where the country ends in each direction.

The northernmost spot is near the border with Niger close to a town called Chadawa in Sokoto State. The easternmost point is on the border with Cameroon near a village named Munyego in Borno State. The southernmost point is a headland south of Egeregere in Bayelsa State. The westernmost point is on the border with Benin Republic near a town called Jabata in Oyo State.