Location Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references Africa

Area
total: 923,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km

Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Coastline 853 km

Maritime claims
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, arable land

Land use
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 3%
other: 66% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 2,330 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

NOTE: The information regarding Nigeria on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Nigeria Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Nigeria Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.