Nigeria

[ nahy-jeer-ee-uh ]

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.

Nigeria

/ 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)

Nigeria

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.

Notes

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 Words From

• an·ti-Ni·ge·ri·an adjective noun
• Ni·ge·ri·an adjective noun
• pro-Ni·ge·ri·an adjective noun

Example Sentences

Political tensions are underlying every move in Nigeria, where, in February, the next presidential candidates will be nominated.

From The Daily Beast

Fink stresses the need for Nigeria to train and deploy women into more prominent law enforcement roles.

From The Daily Beast

And during a one-week period the next month four different female suicide bombings shook various regions of Nigeria.

From The Daily Beast

There are only 175 countries on that list, which puts Russia on a par with Lebanon and Nigeria.

From The Daily Beast

His father went to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria and said his kid was dangerous, and that they should revoke his U.S. travel visa.

From The Daily Beast

In Uganda and Nigeria a large proportion of the population is Arab and relatively light-skinned.

From Project Gutenberg

A false start was made from Nigeria with insufficient forces, which met with disaster towards the end of August.

From Project Gutenberg

The English Coaster, who for ten years in Nigeria had escaped fever and sudden death, laughed evasively.

From Project Gutenberg

Everett was again at Matadi, waiting for the Nigeria to take on cargo before returning to Liverpool.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a very difficult expedition right into the centre of Nigeria, and one hundred pounds is of no use.

From Project Gutenberg