As one of the most populated countries in Africa and around the world, Nigeria surely has a lot to offer in terms of culture. Nigerian culture has been developing for centuries and is now a fascinating blend of everything this country has ever gone through.
There is so much to know about Nigeria that even native Nigerians sometimes struggle with remembering all of the interesting facts about Nigeria. Luckily, we are here to fix that with our 20 interesting facts about Nigerian culture.
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1. Language
Although English is the official language in Nigeria, there are over 30 languages spoken throughout the country, which accounts for as much as 7% of the languages spoken worldwide.
2. Population
With over 174 million people living in Nigeria nowadays, Nigeria is not only the most populous Black nation, but also a state that accounts for 1/5 of the total population of Africa.
3. Ethnicity
According to facts about Nigerian ethnicity, there are over 250 ethnic groups currently living in the state, with Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa-Fulani being the most populous ones.
4. Human existence
The discovery of the traces of human existence that date back to as long ago as 9000 BC, Nigeria is believed to be one of the earliest locations of human existence in history.
5. Religion
Overall there are 3 major religions practiced in Nigeria: Islam in the northern part of the country, Christianity in middle and eastern Nigeria, and the traditional country in other parts of the state.
6. Twins
One of the funny facts about Nigeria is that the Yoruba ethnicity is the world’s leader in births of twins, likely to high yam consumption that is common in this area.
7. Walls of Benin
Until 2012, the length of Walls of Benin was long thought to be twice as big as the length of the Great Wall of China, although later research debunked this myth.
8. Aliko Dangote
Out of all rich black men of the world, Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian mogul, is believed to be the wealthiest one; his current net worth is $16,1 billion.
9. Name
The name of Nigeria derived from Niger, the largest river of West Africa that stretches over 4,180 kilometers.
10. Education
Most Nigerians start their education at the age of 1,5 years old in the nursery school and continue the education process for as long as they like at a college, university, or institute.
11. Dufuna boat
The oldest boat in Africa was discovered in 1987 in Nigeria; it is believed to be between 8,000 and 8,500 years old, making it also the second oldest boat in the world.
12. Oil
Oil, the essential member of Nigerian economy, was discovered not too long ago – in 1956. Port Harcourt is currently the center of Nigerian oil industry.
13. Wole Soyinka
Nigeria is proud of having its own Nobel prize laureate – in 1986 he had the honor of being the first African to receive this prestigious award for his accomplishments in literature.
14. Naira
One of the many facts about Nigeria worth knowing is that the Nigerian currency, naira, is not an old currency at all – it was first introduced in 1959.
15. Nollywood
The Nollywood is not only the essential part of the Nigerian culture, but also the second largest film industry in the world, producing hundreds of films each year.
16. Longest bridge in Africa
The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, which measures at around 11.8 kilometers and connects the Lagos Island with the mainland, is currently the longest bridge in Africa.
17. Visa
Up until 1974, Nigerians could freely travel to the United Kingdom without a travel visa, which cannot be imagined these days.
18. Growth
It’s hard to believe that only a century ago, in 1911, the population of Nigeria was just 16 million people. By 2050, the population is expected to reach 444 million, making Nigeria the 4th most populated world country.
19. Butterflies
Nigeria’s southern region is widely believed by researchers to host the widest variety of butterfly species in the world.
20. Travel
If you’re planning to explore Nigeria, the best time to do it is between December and February: these months have the most comfortable average climate.
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