Nigeria

Nigeria - one of the largest on the square (924  thousand sq. km) the countries of the Western Africa, on a population (more 91,5  million persons) it comes first on continent.

From the south the country is flowed about by gulf of Guinea, on a land bounds with Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, in the northeast gets out to loch Chad shores. Nigeria has ancient history: archeological excavations have detected traces of the population with a development high level (familiar with farming agriculture and iron machining), dated I-II thousands BC Since the first centuries of our era in terrain of Nigeria existed the state educations, most powerful of which was Oyo (created by the people joruba), - its blossoming is necessary for XVII century. Till 1960 Nigeria was colony of the Great Britain, now is presidential federal republic. An official language - English.

The Climate almost in all terrain of Nigeria equatorial, monsoonal. Mid-annual temperatures everywhere exceed 25  °C. In the north the hottest months - March-June, in the south - April when the temperature attains 30-32  °C, and the most rainy and cool month - August. The greatest precipitation (to 4000  the mm a year) falls out in river Niger delta, in the central part of the country - 1000-1400  mm, and in the extreme northeast - all 500  mm. The driest season - winter when from the northeast the wind harmattan blows, bringing diurnal heat and sharp daily differences of temperatures (in the afternoon air gets warm to 40  °C and more, and at night the temperature drops to 10  °C).

The River Niger with inflow of Benue as though divides country terrain on two parts: to the south from their valleys the terrain bulk is occupied by Bayshore plain, low plateaus northward are stretched. The bayshore plain is formed by silts of the rivers and lasts on hundreds kilometres from the West to the east. Northward the locality raises gradually and passes in ladder-shaped plateaus (Joruba, Fish, Dzhos, etc.) with altitudes in the central part to 2042  m (peak Fogel on plateau SHebshi) and numerous ostantsovymi rocks which arabesque columns rise over a hilly surface of a plateau. In the plateau northwest pass in plain Sokoto (basin of the river with the same name), and in the northeast - in plain to Born.

Nigeria - the country of woods and savannahs. Once wet tropical woods occupied the bulk of its terrain, but cuttings down and a burning out under sowings have devided out their square. Now tropical woods with the braided lianas arbours in altitude to 45  m are passed round only on Bayshore plain and in valleys of the rivers. In the north of wood region where it is less than deposits (to 1600  mm), are passed round listopadnye dry tropical woods. Almost half of terrain of the country occupies vysokotravnaja (wet Guinean) the savannah alternating with sections of park savannahs (with redkostojnymi arbours - kajja, izoberlinija, mitragina). During a season of rains high grasses can cover not only the person, but also a large animal. In the dry season the savannah looks lifeless and burnt out. To the north of region of a tall-grass savannah the dry Sudanese savannah with characteristic umbelliferous acacias, baobabs and prickly bushes is stretched. In the extreme northeast of the country where rains - the big rarity, was stretched so-called sahelskaja savannah with the rarefied vegetation. And only at shores of loch Chad the picture sharply varies: here kingdom of juicy potherb, reedbeds and the papyrus.

The fauna of the Nigeria which especially well has saved in national parks and reservations (in particular, in reservation JAnkari, on plateau Bauchi) is so diverse also. Eurysynusic elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, leopards, hyenas, numerous antelopes (including a wood nanous antelope dikdik, weighing no more 3  kg), meet the big flocks of water buffaloes, here and there were saved the scutal anteater, a chimpanzee and even a gorilla, not speaking about monkeys, baboons, lemurs. The world of auks in woods, savannahs, especially on shores of the rivers is bright and rich.

Among the 80-million population of Nigeria numbers more 200  the various nationalities speaking in different tongues. The most numerous - the people wherefore (or igbo), jorubo, a house, edo, ibibio, tiv. The traditional crop of the country, clothes and a life of its inhabitants is so diverse also, that along with the exotic nature is main place of interest of Nigeria. Colour mats, a calabash, homespun dresses, items from an arbour and bronze are willingly acquired by tourists.

In Nigeria it is a lot of concerning large cities though many of them on choronomic shape remind huge villages. The country capital - Lagos, with more than million population, is based by Europeans still four hundred years ago. Now it is a modern city, large port and industrial centre. Here there is a university, the ethnographic and archaeological museums, the arranged well hotels. Ibadan (nearby 1,3  million inhabitants) - a main city of the people joruba, perfect weavers and carvers on metal and an arbour. Ibadan has originated in XVIII century, in an old part of a city fortifications were saved. Benin City saves ancient traditions: here numerous religious feasts are especially picturesque. Ifes - the known centre of the African art, are especially interesting items from bronze and the terracotta which ancient samples are stored in an aboriginal museum. In the north of the country the city of Kano with a grandiose mosque, an ancient palace of the emir (inhabitants of Kano practise Islam) and a known market to all Africa is interesting existing more than thousand years. Other large cities - Port-harkorta, Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, Kalabar, Zaria, Kaduna, Katsina, Ilorin, Majduguri, Dzhos. Some are builted of them rather recently, others have centuries-old history.