CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA

In the light of celebrating Nigeria at 55, I've scrambled the internet and put together some interesting facts about our good old country.

1. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with more than 160 million people living there. What this means is that 1 in every 7 Africans is a Nigerian. 

2.Nigeria has one of the oldest locations of human existence.Evidence from archaeological discoveries have shown that there was a history of human existence in Nigeria which has been dated as far back as 9000 lBC. The Nok civilization (around 500BC - 200AD) is one of the earliest known civilizations. 

3. Nigeria, with 521 languages has the fourth most in the world. This includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages. This means that Nigeria is home to 7%  of all languages spoken on earth.

4. The Walls of Benin (800-1400AD), in present day Edo State, are the longest ancient earthworks in the world, and probably the largest man-made structure on earth. They enclose 6500 square kilometers 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 (after five years of meticulous measurement by Chinese surveyors) that the Great Wall is about 21,000km long.

5. The Jos Plateau Indigobird, a small reddish-brown bird, is found nowhere else on the planet but Plateau state, Nigeria.

6. Sarki Muhammad Kanta The Great of Kebbi, was the only ruler who resisted control by Songhai, West Africa’s greatest empire at that time. He founded and ruled the Hausa city-state of Kebbi around 1600 A.D and built Surame its capital, a planned city which was almost impossible to penetrate during war. In fact UNESCO describes Surame as “one of the wonders of human history, creativity and ingenuity”, and probably the most massive stone-walled constructions in West Africa. He is listed in Robin Walker’s 50 Greatest Africans. 

7. Africa’s oldest known boat is The Dufuna canoe which was discovered in Dufuna village, Yobe state, by a Fulani Herdsman in May 1987, while he dug a well. Various radio-carbon tests conducted in laboratories of reputable universities in Europe and America indicate that the canoe is over 8,000 years old, thus making it the oldest in Africa and 3rd oldest in the world. The discovery of the canoe has completely changed accepted theories of the history and sophistication of marine technology in Africa.

8. The Yoruba tribe has the highest rate of twin births in the world. Igbo-Ora, a little town in Oyo state, has been nicknamed Twin capital of the World because of its unusually high rate of twins that is put as high as 158 twins per 1000 births.

9. Ile Ife, in present day Osun State, was paved as early as 1000AD, with decorations that originated from ancient America suggesting there might have been contact between the Yorubas and The Ancient Americans half a millennium before Columbus discovered America.

10. The Third Mainland Bridge connecting Lagos Island to the mainland is the longest bridge in Africa - it measures about 11.8km.

So there, you have it. 10 things I didn't know about Nigeria. I found this enlightening and hope you do too.