1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
924,630 km2; 24% arable (13% of total land area under cultivation), 35% forested, 41% desert, waste, urban, or other
Coastline
853 km
Land boundaries
4,034 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
30 nm (fishing 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
of the more than 250 tribal groups, the Hausa and Fulani of the north, the Yoruba of the south, and the Ibos of the east comprise 60% of the population; about 27,000 non-Africans
Labor force
approx. 28-32 million (1979)
Language
English official; Hausa, Yoruba, and Ibo also widely used
Literacy
est. 25%
Nationality
noun—Nigerian(s); adjective—Nigerian
Organized labor
between 800,000 and 1 million wage earners, approx. 2.4% of total labor force, belong to some 70 unions
Population
82,396,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.3%
Religion
no exact figures on religious breakdown, but last census (1963) showed Nigeria to be 47% Muslim, 34% Christian, and 18% animist
Government
Branches
a strong executive president, a bicameral National Assembly with a 95-seat Senate and a 449-seat House, and a separate judiciary
Capital
Lagos
Communists
the pro-Communist underground comprises a fraction of the small Nigerian left; leftist leaders are prominent in the country's central labor organization but have little influence on government
Elections
national elections held every four years (last held in 1979) to elect a federal president, federal Senate, federal House of Representatives, state governors, and state legislatures Political parties and leaders: National Party of Nigeria (NPN), led by Shehu Shagari; Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), led by Obafemi Awolowo; Nigerian People's Party (NPP), led by Nnamdi Azikiwe; Great Nigerian People's Party (GNPP), led by Waziri Ibrahim; People's Redemption Party (PRP), led by Aminu Kano
Government leader
President Alhaji Shehu SHAGARI
Legal system
based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; new constitution was promulgated for restoration of civilian rule in October 1979; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Member of
AFDB, APC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 October
Official name
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Political subdivisions
19 states, headed by elected governors
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
federal republic since 1979
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—peanuts, cotton, cocoa, rubber, yams, cassava, sorghum, palm kernels, millet, corn, rice; livestock; almost self-sufficient
Budget
(1980) revenues $22.1 billion, current expenditures $8.6 billion, development expenditures $16.7 billion
Electric power
1,823,000 kW capacity (1980); 5.2 billion kWh produced (1980), 66 kWh per capita
Exports
$23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1980); oil (95%), cocoa, palm products, rubber, timber, tin
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 535,435 metric tons (1979); imports $14.5 million (1974)
GDP
$92.6 billion (1980 est., current prices), $1,087 per capita; 7.8% growth rate (1980 est.)
Imports
$15.9 billion (f.o.b., 1980); machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals
Major industries
mining—crude oil, natural gas, coal, tin, columbite; processing industries—oil palm, peanut, cotton, rubber, petroleum, wood, hides, skins; manufacturing industries—textiles, cement, building materials, food products, footwear, chemical, printing, ceramics
Major trade partners
UK, EC, US
Monetary conversion rate
1 Naira=US$1.8297 (1980)
Communications
Airfields
79 total, 75 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 19 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
40 major transport aircraft
Highways
107,990 km total 30,019 km paved (mostly bituminous surface treatment); 25,411 km laterite, gravel, crushed stone, improved earth; 52,560 km unimproved
Inland waterways
8,575 km consisting of Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks; additionally, Kainji Lake has several hundred miles of navigable lake routes
Pipelines
1,918 km crude oil; 102 km natural gas; 3,000 km refined products
Ports
5 major (Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Sapele), 10 minor
Railroads
3,505 km 1.067-meter gauge
Telecommunications
above average system with major expansion in progress; radio relay and cable routes; 154,200 telephones (0.2 per 100 popl.); 25 AM, 6 FM, and 26 TV stations; satellite station with Atlantic and Indian Ocean antennas, domestic satellite system with 18 stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 17,450,000; 10,030,000 fit for military service; 860,000 reach military age (18) annually