Nigeria

American  

[nahy-jeer-ee-uh] / naɪˈdʒɪər i ə /

noun

1. a republic in western Africa: member of the Commonwealth of Nations; formerly a British colony and protectorate. 356,669 sq. mi. (923,773 sq. km). Abuja.

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Nigeria British  

/ naɪˈdʒɪərɪə /

noun

1. a republic in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea: Lagos annexed by the British in 1861; protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria formed in 1900 and united as a colony in 1914; gained independence as a member of the Commonwealth in 1960 (membership suspended from 1995 to 1999 following human rights violations); Eastern Region seceded as the Republic of Biafra for the duration of the severe civil war (1967–70); ruled by military governments from 1966. It consists of a belt of tropical rain forest in the south, with semidesert in the extreme north and highlands in the east; the main export is petroleum. Official language: English; Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba are the chief regional languages. Religion: animist, Muslim, and Christian. Currency: naira. Capital: Abuja. Pop: 174 507 539 (2013 est). Area: 923 773 sq km (356 669 sq miles)

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Nigeria Cultural  

1. A nation in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean), bordered by Niger to the north, Chad and Cameroon to the east, and Benin to the west. Lagos is the capital and largest city.

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Discover More

With over 110 million inhabitants, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country.

Nigeria has been independent from Britain since 1960, and its independent history has been marked by bloodshed and instability. An ill-fated separatist movement established the secessionist state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria from 1967 to 1970.

The city-state of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, flourished from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries as a center of commerce and culture. It was famous for its cast-gold sculptures.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Nigerian
  adjective
• pro-Nigerian
  adjective
• Nigerian
  adjective

Compare meaning

How does nigeria compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Niger vs. Nigeria

Example Sentences

During the qualifying round, South Africa won its group by finishing ahead of Nigeria and advanced despite starting the campaign with a loss due to an ineligible player used in a match against Lesotho.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

There are two ways to think about electric vehicles in Nigeria.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Europe is also getting more of its jet fuel from Nigeria, he said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Finally I was on a plane to Nigeria.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey