Nigeria

Nigeria lies on the west coast of Africa. The country is geographically diverse and its climate ranges from arid to humid equatorial. But the most diverse feature of Nigeria is its population, with hundreds of languages spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio, Tiv and English. The country also has plentiful natural resources, namely large deposits of petroleum and natural gas. Abuja is the capital of the country, in the Federal Capital Territory, which was established by decree in 1976. The former capital, Lagos, remains the country's main commercial and industrial city. The habitats in Nigeria are very diverse, from mangrove swamps and tropical rainforest to scattered savannahs dotted with clumps of trees. The country has recorded around 290 species of mammals and 940 species of birds. Nigeria has a wide variety of mammals in different habitats. Among these are lions, leopards, mongooses, hyenas, jackals, African Elephants, African Buffaloes, African Manatees, rhinos, antelopes, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, monkeys, baboons, Western Gorillas, chimpanzees, bats, shrews, mice, rats, squirrels and gerbils. In addition, a number of whale and dolphin species frequent Nigerian waters. Some 940 species of birds have been listed in Nigeria, five of which are endemic to the country. Every geographical area has its own distinctive bird species, and only a few are found in both forest and savannah. Among the birds endemic to Nigeria are the Ibadan Malimbe, the Jos Plateau Indigobird, the Rock Firefinch and the Anambra Waxbill.