Nigeria

The **Federal Republic of Nigeria** is a country located in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea. Becoming independent from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960, Nigeria is one of the most modernized countries in Africa, having the world's 20th largest economy and the largest economy in Africa, beating South Africa in 2014. Despite this, Nigeria is divided between the Protestant Christian south and the Sunni Muslim north, with the south having the large cities and Western education while the north has *sharia* law and poor villages. The separation of the two groups has led to unrest on many occasions, such as the 1970 Nigerian Civil War and the ongoing Insurgency in Nigeria.

## History

### Pre-independence

Nigeria's name comes from the Niger River of West Africa, which runs throug the country; Niger to the north is also named for the river. The country was ruled by the Sokoto Caliphate since the Fulani War in 1809, with the Hausa tribes being defeated by the Fulani Sokoto; in 1903, the United Kingdom conquered Nigeria after defeating the Sokoto following years of warfare. Colonial Nigeria was exploited for its resources by the United Kingdom, which wanted to strip it of all of its gold and ivory resources. After World War II, Britain gave Nigeria self-rule, and in 1960 it became an independent country.

### Early years

Like many other new African countries, Nigeria had to deal with internal threats from ambitious generals. Ibo officer Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi seized power as Head of State of Nigeria in 1966, but the July Counter Coup let Yakubu Gowon become the new President. Ibo people in the north were persecuted, and anti-Ibo massacres led to Eastern Nigeria's governor Odumegwu Ojukwu declaring the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, starting the Nigerian Civil War. 30,000,000 people were killed or died of starvation caused by a blockade within 30 months, with the United Kingdom and Soviet Union supporting the government against the France-backed rebels. The rebellion was crushed, and military juntas ruled Nigeria during the 1970s. From 1966 to 1979 and 1983 to 1998, the military ruled the country, and leaders who failed to carry out promised reforms were overthrown. In 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo's election ended an era of military rule, and democracy was restored.

### Present-day

Since 1999, Nigeria has made a recovery, having the 20th largest economy in the world and the largest economy in Africa by 2014. The south, mostly Christian, was home to large cities like Lagos and Abuja and saw international commerce grow, although the Muslim north was composed of several villages that were run by farmers. *Sharia* law was implemented in several northern states, contrasting with the freedom of religion in the southern countries. Nigeria had a great international economy, but the divide between the north and south led to the rise of the Boko Haram jihadist group during their struggle against the Nigerian government of the Christian President Goodluck Jonathan. The Insurgency in Nigeria saw bombings in northern Nigeria on a weekly basis, with Boko Haram using young girls as suicide bombers while their fighters kidnapped people and forced them to either join their group or become sex slaves. In 2014, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger teamed up to form an anti-Boko Haram coalition, driving them out of Sambisa Forest and several villages while liberating captured schoolgirls used as sex slaves or would-be suicide bombers. By March 2016, Boko Haram was losing ground, and the government was restoring control to the country.

## Demographics

Nigeria is a multinational country, with the major ethnic groups being the Yoruba, Hausa, and Ibo peoples. 58% of Nigerians are Christian (74% Protestant, 25% Catholic, 1% other), 40% are Muslim (almost all Sunni/Sufi with a Shia minority), and 1% are other beliefs, mostly animism. Nigeria is nearly divided in half between the Christian south and Muslim north, explaining the near-even distribution of Christian and Muslim people.