Nigeria is a diverse West African country with several interesting facts. Combine the vertical bands of green, white, and green, and you have Nigeria’s flag. The flag of Nigeria symbolizes natural abundance and peace. The country is home to many ethnicities, a rich film industry, different languages, and butterfly species.
What is the most famous thing in Nigeria?
The number one thing Nigeria is most famous for is oil. When you think petroleum, you think Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest petroleum producer and is the 12th largest oil producer in the world.
What is the most interesting thing about Nigeria?
Nigeria is both a fascinating and exasperating nation to live in or visit. Want to know more about this great nation? With so much history and cultural richness, there is so much to learn from Nigeria’s impact on Africa and the world at large.
Here are some of the most interesting facts about Nigeria that you probably didn’t know before reading this!
Nigerian model Agbani Darego. Photo/pinterest
- Nigerian model Agbani Darego was the first African woman to win the Miss World pageant by entering the history books with her victory in 2001. Darego has worked with top brands such as Avon, Christian Dior, Sephora, and Macy’s. She appeared in world-famous magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire, Trace, Stitch, Cosmopolitan, and Essence. Darego remains Nigeria’s most famous beauty queen.
- Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. With almost 200 million people. Nigeria is also the 7th most populated country in the world. While that may be many people, its population would have been even higher if it weren’t for its high mortality rates and low life expectancy.
- There are several religions in Nigeria. However, Nigerians are Christians or Muslims with 50% and 40% of the total population.
- One of the Interesting Facts about Nigeria is that it is a multicultural nation. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups with distinct cultures and traditions. Nigerians speak over 500 indigenous languages throughout Nigeria, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. Some of the common languages spoken are Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. English serves as Nigeria’s official language.
- The town of Igbo-Ora in Nigeria is known as the home of twins. Yoruba people have the highest rate of having twins in the world. Many Yoruba people believe eating yams and okra leaves causes the birth rate of twins in Igbo-Ora. However, there is no scientific evidence for this speculation.
- Nigeria is home to Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa. Dangote is a Nigerian billionaire with a net worth of about 10.6 billion USD. Forbes listed Dangote among the 100 richest people in the world.
- Nigeria is also the largest economy in Africa. Oil is its biggest export of the country, followed by agriculture, which makes oil one of the interesting facts about Nigeria. Nigeria produces crude oil with an average of 2,5 million barrels a day. The country has a massive petroleum reserve, and it plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s economy. Its oil profitability was greatest during the 1970s, when Nigeria became the wealthiest country in Africa. Within two years, its profit increased by almost 50%.
- Although Lagos is the largest city, with a population of over 21 million people, it’s not the capital city of Nigeria. Abuja is the capital of Nigeria. built in the 1980s, Abuja is the country’s political and administrative center with a population of over 6 million people in its metropolitan area.
- Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, is one of the largest film producers in the world, followed by India’s Bollywood. Nollywood, the nickname for the Nigerian Movie Industry, is bigger than Hollywood. They produce weekly about 200 movies, so the industry produces over 10 000 movies per year!
- They named Nigeria after its river, The Niger River, which is the third-largest river in Africa.
The Niger River-one of the interesting facts about Nigeria. Photo/ twitter.
- Nigeria is home to a massive number of butterflies. The area near Calabar witnesses different species of colorful butterflies.
