Smaller countries include Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin. West African culture is expressed in architecture, arts, music and dance. There are more than one thousand languages. In Nigeria over 250 languages are used so all school instruction takes place in English. Muslim and Christianity are the primary religions, although there are many different religions practiced.
Many people use the barter system to buy and sell goods at the markets in rural areas.
The country has two distinct climates. A tropical climate dominates along the coast that brings heavy rainfall and high humidity. In the north there are dry, dusty winds that come from the Sahara. English is the official language of Nigeria, but the most commonly used language is Hausa, a lingua franca in West Africa. Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and established a federal political system that divided the country into three areas based on culture.