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Nigeria Is A Founding Member of
Nigeria Is A Founding Member of
Contents
1Etymology
2History
o 2.1Early history (1500 BC – 1500 AD)
o 2.2Pre-colonial era (1500–1800)
o 2.3British Nigeria (1800–1960)
o 2.4Independence and First Republic (1960–1966)
o 2.5Military rule and Civil War (1966–1979)
o 2.6Civilian rule and Second Republic (1979–1983)
o 2.7Military rule and Third Republic (1983–1999)
o 2.8Democratization and Fourth Republic (1999–present)
3Politics
o 3.1Law
o 3.2Military
o 3.3Corruption
o 3.4Foreign relations
o 3.5Administrative divisions
4Geography
o 4.1Climate
o 4.2Plant ecology
o 4.3Environmental issues
5Economy
o 5.1Agriculture
o 5.2Petroleum and mining
o 5.3Services and tourism
o 5.4Manufacturing and technology
6Infrastructure
o 6.1Energy
o 6.2Transportation
o 6.3Government satellites
7Demographics
o 7.1Ethnic groups
o 7.2Languages
o 7.3Religion
o 7.4Health
o 7.5Education
8Society
o 8.1Crime
o 8.2Poverty
o 8.3Civil unrest and conflict
o 8.4Women's rights and issues
o 8.5Human rights
9Culture
o 9.1Chieftaincy system
o 9.2Literature
o 9.3Music and film
o 9.4Cuisine
o 9.5Sport
10See also
11Notes
12References
13Further reading
14External links
Etymology
The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was
coined on January 8, 1897, by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Lord Lugard, a British
colonial administrator. The neighbouring Niger takes its name from the same river. The origin of the
name Niger, which originally applied to only the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The
word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen used by inhabitants along the
middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu prior to 19th-century European colonialism. [35][36]
History
Main articles: History of Nigeria and Timeline of Nigerian history
The Nok civilization of Nigeria flourished between 1,500 BC and AD 200. It produced life-
sized terracotta figures that are some of the earliest known sculptures in Sub-Saharan Africa[37][38][39][40]
[41]
and smelted iron by about 550 BC and possibly a few centuries earlier. [42][43][44] Evidence of iron
smelting has also been excavated at sites in the Nsukka region of southeast Nigeria: dating to 2000
BC at the site of Lejja (Uzomaka 2009)[45] and to 750 BC and at the site of Opi. The Kingdom of Nri of
the Igbo people consolidated in the 10th century and continued until it lost its sovereignty to the
British in 1911.[46][47] Nri was ruled by the Eze Nri, and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation
of Igbo culture. Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the
Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure Eri.[48] In
West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using the lost-wax process were from Igbo-Ukwu, a city under
Nri influence.[46] The Yoruba kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in
the 12th[49][50] and 14th[51] centuries, respectively. The oldest signs of human settlement at Ife's current
site date back to the 9th century,[49] and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures.