12 Fascinating Facts About Nigeria

This post highlights some fascinating facts about Nigeria that you should know. Nigeria is a country in Africa, known as the giant of the continent, owing to its population and economy. The country has got one of the most interesting histories, facts and cultures in the world.

12 fascinating facts about Nigeria you probably never knew

1. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa

The country's population is about 200 million, making it one of the most populous countries in the world. In 2019, Nigeria was ranked the 7th populated country in the world.

2. There are over 500 indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria.

Not only is Nigeria highly populated, but also has diverse ethnic groups and over 500 languages are spoken in the country. Although the country's lingua franca is English, it accounts for about 7% of the total languages spoken on earth.

Taraba state, one of the states in the country has more languages spoken than 30 African countries.

Some of the major languages in Nigeria include Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

3. The Yoruba tribe of Nigeria has the highest rate of twins birth in the world.

Igbo-ora, a small town in Oyo state, is fondly called the Twin capital of the world because of the unusually high rate of twin births in this town. It is said that about 158 of 1000 births in Igbo-ora town are twins.

4. Nigeria movie industry, Nollywood, is bigger than Hollywood

Nollywood is the second largest film producer in the world. Bollywood takes the top spot. Roughly 200 movies are produced weekly, which means that more than 10,000 movies are produced per year.

5. Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa

Nigeria is the 12th largest oil-producing country in the world. It is also the 8th largest exporter of crude oil, making it the country with the largest economy in Africa. This accounts for close to 90% of the country's revenue.

Nigeria produces about 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day.

6. Nigeria has the second largest delta in the world, which is the Niger delta.

7. Anambra waxbill, a small bird with several beautiful colours on its body, is found only in the southern part of Nigeria. It means that Nigeria is the only country that houses Waxbill.

8. The Hausas and Fulanis are the largest subcultural group in Nigeria, with about 29%. Next to them on the list are the Yorubas with 21%, followed by the Igbos (18%), Ijaw (10%), Kanuri (4%), Ibibio (3.5%), and Tiv (3.5%).

9. The name Nigeria is derived from Niger, which is the longest river in West Africa.

10. Nigeria is the largest yam producing country in the world.

11. The national sport in Nigeria is football.

12. Nigerians are the most educated immigrants in the united states. About 60% of Nigerians in America have college degrees, which is far more than the average number of educated Americans (30%).

Well, if you didn't think Nigeria is such an interesting country, I bet you do now.

Let's talk in the comment section. What other fascinating facts do you know about Nigeria?