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Nigeria
Travel Tips
A collection of important information that can make your trip more enjoyable.
| Find the Most Important Information about Nigeria |
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| INTRODUCTION |
Nigeria is situated at the extreme inner corner of the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa. It borders with Chad to the northeast, Cameroon to the east, Benin to the west, Niger to the northwest and by the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea) to the south.
Along the entire coastline of Nigeria lies a belt of mangrove swamp forest from 10 to 60 miles in width, which is intersected by branches of the Niger Delta and innumerable other smaller rivers and creeks. Beyond the swamp forest is a zone, from 50 to 100 miles wide, of undulating tropical rain forest. The country then rises to a plateau at a general elevation of 2,000 ft but reaching 6,000 ft to the east, and the vegetation changes from woodland to savannah. In the extreme north, the country approaches the southern part of the Sahara.
The Niger, the third largest river in Africa, enters Nigeria from the Northwest and runs in a southeasterly direction, meeting its principal tributary, the Benue, at Lokoja, about 340 miles from the sea. It then flows south to the Delta, through which it runs into the Gulf of Guinea via numerous channels. Other main tributaries of the Niger are the Sokoto and Kaduna rivers. The second great drainage system of Nigeria flows north and east from the central plateau and empties into Lake Chad.
- Capital: Abuja
- Population: 128,772,000
- Religions: Muslim, Christian, Indigenous beliefs
- Government: Federal Republic
- Official / National Languages: Edo, Efik, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo, Yerwa Kanuri, Yoruba, English
- Country Phone Code: +234
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| PLACES TO SEE |
ABUJA : In a moment of misguided inspiration, the Nigerian government kicked out the local Gwari inhabitants and decided to up-and-move the capital from Lagos to Abuja. Unfortunately, they ran out of oil money before the grand vision was finished and parts of Abuja still look like a work in progress.
However, Abuja is slowly taking on the role of Nigeria's capital, and the city is filling. But while most federal ministries and civil servants have made the move, foreign agencies and diplomatic missions are still in Lagos and, as a result, there really isn't much to do in Abuja.
KANO : At nearly 1000 years old, the mud-walled Muslim city of Kano is the oldest city in West Africa and sits on the edge of the Sahel (the fringe of the Sahara). Although it's a bustling hive of commercial activity it's still more bearable than Lagos. Its main attraction is the Old City.
Despite the near-complete disintegration of the city walls, the gates have remained intact. The Kofar Mata Gate leads to the Emir's palace and Central Mosque. The mosque is closed to non-Islamic visitors but is worth seeing from the outside, especially during the Friday prayer time (around noon).
SACRED FOREST : The Sacred Forest is a large area of rainforest on the outskirts of Oshogbo. Within the forest is the beautiful Shrine of Oshuno, the River Goddess. In addition to the natural beauty, there are many stunning sculptures put up by Suzanne Wenger (known locally as Aduni Olosa, the 'Adored One'), an Austrian painter and sculptor who came here in the 1950s.
YANKARI GAME RESERVE : Yankari is Nigeria's best park for observing wildlife. With a bit of luck you may come across elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos, crocodiles and the occasional lion. Nigerian visitors are common, but you may find locals taking photos of you instead of the animals. ^ Top
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| CLIMATE |
Although Nigeria lies wholly within the tropical zone, there are wide climatic variations in different areas of the country. Near the coast, the seasons are not sharply defined. Temperatures rarely exceed 32°C (90°F), but humidity is very high and nights are hot.. Inland, there are two distinct seasons: a wet season from April to October, with generally lower temperature, and a dry season from November to March, with midday temperatures that surpass 38°C (100°F) but relatively cool nights. On the Jos Plateau, temperature are more moderate
Average rainfall along the coast varies from 70 inches in the west to about 170 inches in certain parts of the east. Inland it decreases to around 50 inches over most of central Nigeria and only 20 inches in the extreme north.
Two principal wind currents affect Nigeria; the harmattan, from the northeast, is hot and dry and carries reddish dust from the desert. and causes high temperatures during the day and cool nights. and the southwest wind brings cloudy and rainy weather. ^ Top
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| VISA & IMMIGRATION |
Visas are required by everyone except national from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after the intended departure date. Visas are not issued on any land borders or on arrival at the airport.
LIST OF NIGERIAN TOURIST OFFICES AND EMBASSIES LOCATED AROUND THE WORLD
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| MONEY |
Official Currency: 1 Niara=100 kobo
VISA Teller Machines for cash advance are available at Standard Chartered Bank branches 24 hours
MASTERCARD services are available at ECOBANK branches.
BANKING & BUSINESS HOURS:
Banking: Monday to Friday: Open: 0800hrs Close: 1600hrs - Only a handful in busy commercial locations are open on Saturdays.
Shops: Monday to Friday: 0800-1700 Saturday: 0800-1630. ^ Top
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| TRANSPORTATION |
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS : Domestic flights operate between Lagos and Maiduguri, Abuja, Kaduna, Benin City, Enugu, Kano, Jos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Sokoto and Yola and someother cities. Helicopters have regular flights to the oilfields, and charter services are available as well. Fares can be paid for in local currency.
RAIL : The service connects Lagos to Kano and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri with stopovers at various towns. The service is unreliable and poor and often does not run. but when it does it is a cheap way of getting around.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT : The southern part of the country is well connected by a bus service but further north the main form of transport is shared taxis of up to six people.. Motorcycle taxis are common in the cities and outskirts.
SELF DRIVE/HIRE CARS :
Road conditions are deteriorating and there are many pot-holes. Some lesser used roads are impassable during and after the rains. Beware of unmarked roads blocks. Petrol is very cheap in Nigeria. Driving is on the right hand side and an International Driving Licence is required. Car Hire is available in Lagos and Abuja. ^ Top
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| PUBLIC HOLIDAYS |
| 1st January |
New Year's Day |
| 1st May |
Worker's Day |
| 1st October |
National Day |
| 25th December |
Christmas Day |
| 26th December |
Boxing Day |
| Variable holidays |
Good Friday and Easter Monday, and various Islamic Holidays. ^ Top |
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