World Factbook
Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
910,768 sq km
water
13,000 sq km
total
923,768 sq km
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
Land use
other
4.7% (2023 est.)
forest
19.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
76.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 40.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 8.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 27.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
Coastline
853 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
mean elevation
380 m
Irrigated land
2,188 sq km (2017)
Major aquifers
Lake Chad Basin, Lullemeden-Irhazer Aquifer System
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
4,477 km
border countries
Benin 809 km; Cameroon 1,975 km; Chad 85 km; Niger 1,608 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
periodic droughts; flooding
Geography - note
the Niger River enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rainforests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land
Area - comparative
about six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California
Geographic coordinates
10 00 N, 8 00 E
Population distribution
largest population of any African nation; significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq km note - area varies by season and year to year
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Niger (2,261,741 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Niger river mouth (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, Benin, and Niger) - 4,200 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth