Nigeria

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa bordered by Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin, operating as a federal presidential republic of 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, with Abuja as its capital and Lagos as its largest city. Nigeria gained independence on 1 October 1960 as a federation under Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and became a republic in 1963; the country endured civil war from 1967 to 1970 and later periods of military rule before a stable democracy was established in 1999. With more than 242 million people it is Africa's most populous nation and the sixth most populous in the world, home to more than 250 ethnic groups speaking roughly 500 languages, of which Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo together make up over 60 percent of the population; English is the official language. The population is divided roughly evenly between Muslims and Christians, with indigenous religions in the minority, and Nigeria ranks among Africa's largest economies as a World Bank designated emerging market.