Nigeria's Geography | Nigeria Geography

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 land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 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: Territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

Land use: Arable land: 31.29% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 65.75% (2001)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, 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

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