1st of October, 2006 is when Nigeria celebrates its 46th year of independence from the United Kingdom, and here are 10 random facts about the country.....
Nigerian Flag
1. Nigeria has the largest population of any country in Africa. Approximately 1 out of every 2 West Africans, 1 out of every 4 Africans, and 1 out of every 5 persons of African origin is a Nigerian.
2. The playwright and social critic Wole Soyinka is Nigeria’s only Nobel Prize winner. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. A prolific and perspective writer, his works include Kongi’s Harvest, Death and the King’s Horsemen, Ake : the Years of Childhood and The Man Died : Prison Notes.
3. The largest National Park in Nigeria is the Gashaka Gumpti National Park. It is 6,670 sq. Km (about 10 times the size of Singapore) and is in the Adamawa state of Nigeria in the north east of Nigeria.
4. Lagos is the former capital of Nigeria and is now the commercial capital. It is the fastest growing city in the world and the UN projects that it would be the 3rd largest city in the world by 2010 with a projected population of 20.2 million.
5. “Nollywood” is the term used to describe the Nigerian Film industry, a new exciting phenomenon that has taken Africa by storm. Reputedly the 3rd largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood, it has grown from almost nothing to a $250 million industry in 13 years and in the process making stars out of people like Genevieve Nnaji, Regina Askia, Nkem Owoh, Richard Mofe Damijo and others.
6. Arguably Nigeria’s most famous musician is the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938 – 1997) popularly known as ‘Fela’. A Pioneer of a unique fusion of Jazz and West African Highlife music dubbed Afrobeat, Fela was a prolific song writer and a spectacular stage performer. Some of his productions include: Shakara, Gentleman, Zombie, Suffering and smiling and Palaver
7. Although Nigeria is generally considered to be a hot tropical country, the highlands around Jos in central Nigeria have a very temperate weather with an average temperature of 20o C.
8. The oldest university in Nigeria is the University of Ibadan, which was founded in 1948 as a college of the University of London. It became an independent University in 1962.
9. Nigeria’s flag consists of three vertical strips of green white and green. The green strips represent the agricultural potential of the country white the white strip represents peace.
10. Nigeria is the 3rd largest market in the world for Guinness and one of the few places outside Ireland where Guinness is brewed. The Nigerian stout has slightly different flavour from the Irish one; it is characterised by being less bitter but stronger.
Map for Nigeria
2. The playwright and social critic Wole Soyinka is Nigeria’s only Nobel Prize winner. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. A prolific and perspective writer, his works include Kongi’s Harvest, Death and the King’s Horsemen, Ake : the Years of Childhood and The Man Died : Prison Notes.
3. The largest National Park in Nigeria is the Gashaka Gumpti National Park. It is 6,670 sq. Km (about 10 times the size of Singapore) and is in the Adamawa state of Nigeria in the north east of Nigeria.
4. Lagos is the former capital of Nigeria and is now the commercial capital. It is the fastest growing city in the world and the UN projects that it would be the 3rd largest city in the world by 2010 with a projected population of 20.2 million.
5. “Nollywood” is the term used to describe the Nigerian Film industry, a new exciting phenomenon that has taken Africa by storm. Reputedly the 3rd largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood, it has grown from almost nothing to a $250 million industry in 13 years and in the process making stars out of people like Genevieve Nnaji, Regina Askia, Nkem Owoh, Richard Mofe Damijo and others.
6. Arguably Nigeria’s most famous musician is the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938 – 1997) popularly known as ‘Fela’. A Pioneer of a unique fusion of Jazz and West African Highlife music dubbed Afrobeat, Fela was a prolific song writer and a spectacular stage performer. Some of his productions include: Shakara, Gentleman, Zombie, Suffering and smiling and Palaver
7. Although Nigeria is generally considered to be a hot tropical country, the highlands around Jos in central Nigeria have a very temperate weather with an average temperature of 20o C.
8. The oldest university in Nigeria is the University of Ibadan, which was founded in 1948 as a college of the University of London. It became an independent University in 1962.
9. Nigeria’s flag consists of three vertical strips of green white and green. The green strips represent the agricultural potential of the country white the white strip represents peace.
10. Nigeria is the 3rd largest market in the world for Guinness and one of the few places outside Ireland where Guinness is brewed. The Nigerian stout has slightly different flavour from the Irish one; it is characterised by being less bitter but stronger.
Map for Nigeria
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