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| NIGERIA Facts at a glanceFull name: The Federal Republic of Nigeria
Population: 130.2 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Abuja
Largest city: Lagos
Major languages: English (official), Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa
Major religions: Islam, Christianity, indigenous beliefs
Life expectancy: 43 years (men), 43 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Nigerian naira = 100 kobo
GNI per capita: US $560 (World Bank, 2006) [Source: BBC News] Nigeria is located on the west coast of Africa at the inner corner of the Gulf of Guinea (part of the Atlantic Ocean). Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer, but more than half of its people live in poverty. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries and has such a variety of people and cultures that it is difficult to pinpoint one national dish. Each area has its own regional favourite that depends on customs, tradition, and religion. The different foods available also depend on the seasons. People living in the cities tend to buy their food from "chop bars" (bars that sell food), street vendors, hawkers or from restaurants. Dishes such as ukwaka, a steamed pudding made from corn and ripe plantains and moin-moin, a steamed cake of ground dried beans and fish, are favourites. They are served with jollof rice (a spicy tomato-based rice), cassava, yams, okra, beans, plantains or kebabs. |
