Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west.
Let's delve into a comparison between Nigeria and the United States, examining their geographical, historical, and economic aspects.
Geographical Overview
Nigeria covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi). In contrast, the United States is significantly larger, covering approximately 9.8 million square kilometers.
Historical Context
Nigeria has been home to several indigenous material cultures, pre-colonial states, and kingdoms since the second millennium BC. The Nok culture, c. 1500 BC, marks one of the earliest known civilizations in the region. The Hausa Kingdoms inhabited the north, with the Edo Kingdom of Benin in the south and Igbo Kingdom of Nri in the southeast. In the southwest, the Yoruba Ife Empire was succeeded by the Oyo Empire. The present-day territory of Nigeria was home to a vast array of city-states. In the early 19th century, the Fula jihads culminated in the Sokoto Caliphate.
The modern state originated with British colonialization in the 19th century, taking its present territorial shape with the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal structures and incorporated traditional monarchs as a form of indirect rule. Nigeria became a formally independent federation on 1 October 1960.
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In the 16th century, Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin important, direct trade with the peoples of southern Nigeria, at the port they named Lagos (formerly Eko) and in Calabar along the region Slave Coast. Europeans traded goods with peoples at the coast; coastal trade with Europeans also marked the beginnings of the Atlantic slave trade.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Usman dan Fodio led a successful jihad against the Hausa Kingdoms, founding the centralised Sokoto Caliphate. This empire, with Arabic as its official language, grew rapidly under his rule and that of his descendants, who sent out invading armies in every direction. The territory controlled by the empire included much of modern-day northern and central Nigeria.
On 1 January 1914, the British formally united the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Nigeria gained a degree of self-rule in 1954, and full independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960, as the Federation of Nigeria with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as its Prime Minister, while retaining the British monarch, Elizabeth II, as nominal head of state and Queen of Nigeria.
The disequilibrium and perceived corruption of the electoral and political process led to two military coups in 1966. In May 1967, Governor of the Eastern Region Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu declared the region independent from the federation as a state called the Republic of Biafra, as a result of the continuous and systematically planned attacks against Igbos and those of Eastern extraction popularly known as 1966 pogroms. This declaration precipitated the Nigerian Civil War, which began as the official Nigerian government side attacked Biafra on 6 July 1967, at Garkem. Following the war, Nigeria enjoyed an oil boom in the 1970s, during which the country joined OPEC and received huge oil revenues.
Population
With a population of more than 230 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. The United States, while geographically larger, has a population of over 330 million.
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Economic Comparison
Nigeria's economy is the fourth-largest in Africa, the 53rd-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and 27th-largest by PPP. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa by its citizens due to its large population and economy, and is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank.
A changing legal imperative (the outlawing of the Atlantic slave trade in 1807) and economic imperative (a desire for political and social stability) led most European powers to support the widespread cultivation of agricultural products, such as the palm, for use in European industry.
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Nigeria's Role in International Affairs
Nigeria is a regional power in Africa and a middle power in international affairs. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, NAM, the Economic Community of West African States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and OPEC.
Key Facts: Nigeria vs. United States
| Attribute | Nigeria | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 923,769 sq km | Approx. 9.8 million sq km |
| Population | Over 230 million | Over 330 million |
| Economic Status | Emerging Market | Developed Economy |
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