Top 10 Facts About Nigeria You Probably Didn’t Know

Several facts about Nigeria have been mysteriously overlooked or poorly mentioned but with today’s modern technological advances they might come to light. Here are a few facts about Nigeria you probably didn’t know:

1. We are home to one of the oldest records of life. According to modern day archaeologists, Nigeria has a history of human existence that dates as far back at 9000BC. The Nok civilization, also from Nigeria one of the earliest civilizations in the world took place at about 500 BC and up to 200 AD.

2. We have the most diverse butterfly population in the world. Nigeria seems to provide the perfect habitat for butterflies with states such as Cross River and Edo getting flocked with hundreds of entomologists and new butterflies being discovered almost annually.

3. The Third Mainland Bridge was until 1996 the longest bridge in Africa. It was built by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and opened by President Ibrahim Babangida in the year 1990. It is around 11.8 km in length.

4. Nigeria makes up for 7% of the total known languages on earth. Taraba state alone has more languages than 30 African countries. With 521 languages Nigeria has the fourth most in the world. This includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages.

5. The Walls of Benin (800-1400AD), in present day Edo State, are the longest ancient earthworks in the world, and possibly the largest man-made structure on earth. They enclose 6500 square kilometres of community lands that connected about 500 communities. At over 16000km long, it was thought to be twice the length of the Great Wall of China, until it was announced in 2012 that the Great Wall is about 21,000km long.

6. Sungbo’s Eredo in Ogun state (6°49′N, 3°56′E) is a 100-mile system of up to 70 ft trenches and walls around Ijebu-Ode. It is reputed to be the largest single pre-colonial monument in Africa. When it was built a millennium ago, it required more earth to be moved during construction than that was used for building the Great Pyramid of Giza, making Sungbo’s Eredo the biggest city in the world even bigger than Ancient Rome or Cairo during the Middle Ages when it was built.

7. The 2006 census found Nigerians to be the highest educated ethnic or racial group in America.

8. 1st republic Aviation Minister, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi hid former South African President, Nelson Mandela, for six months in Nigeria to evade his arrest by the apartheid regime.

9. The Yoruba ethnic group has the highest twinning rate in the world, manifesting about 45 to 50 twin sets for every 1000 live births.

10. The Nsibidi, a form of writing in which symbols which are used for communication and design, is indigenous to the people of southeastern Nigeria (across Cross River and nearby communities) and has been in existence before the 15th century.

You might also like:

• The Naming of Nigeria: An Interrogation of Etymology
• The Significance of Nigeria’s National Symbols
• Traditional Music and Dance Forms Across Nigeria
• Discover Nigeria: Elegushi Beach

melissa-mordi

Melissa MORDI is an English and Creative Writing student at the University of Kent with revolutionary ideals and no energy to complete them. She lives in Lagos with her family and a dog called Cat.

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