Study Abroad Programs in Nigeria

With over 154 million people living within its borders, Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and the seventh in the world. The country's population is so huge that one out of every four Africans is a Nigerian. Nigeria is also a large country when it comes to geographical size, with a total land area of almost 1,000,000 square kilometers, or about double the size of the state of California.

Situated in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria shares borders with Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, and enjoys coastline of over 800 kilometers. The majority of the country's population, about 50 percent, lives in rural areas and the rest populate urban areas, especially the city of Lagos which is home to around eight million people. Nigeria has five other cities that have populations exceeding one million: Kano, Ibadan, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Benin City. The capital city of Abuja, in contrast, has only about 160,000 residents. 

Nigeria's climate is as varied as its landscape. South Nigeria's climate is mainly tropical rainforest, with only two main seasons--rainy and dry. The long rainy season is from March to July, while the short rainy season comes in September and lasts until mid-October. The short dry season, on the other hand, occurs in August for about three to four weeks, followed by the longer dry season from October to March. North Nigeria enjoys more stable climate with the dry season occurring from October to mid May and the wet season from June to September.

Population and land area are not the only things Nigeria has in apparent abundance. Nigeria boasts a total of over 500 spoken languages, most of which are indigenous, such as Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba. French is also widely spoken, although in a simple form. Due to the large variety of languages, Nigeria has established English as the official national language, primarily to help build and achieve cultural and linguistic unity. The official currency is the Naira, which trades at about 160 Naira to one US dollar. 

Nigerians are fond of soups and sauces and this is reflected in their traditional cuisine, which consists of dishes from hundreds of ethnic groups that make up the nation’s diverse population. Traditional soups and sauces are often very hot, thanks to heavy use of herbs and spices, particularly chili pepper. Omi Ukpoka is soup made of ground dry corn and smoked fish. Egusi, on the other hand, is a soup thickened with ground melon seeds and green leafy vegetables, which also contains meat. Ogbono is another soup made with ground ogbono (Irvingia) seeds, vegetables, and meat; also called wild mango or bush mango, it is usually eaten as a side to other dishes.

Nigeria has a large number of festivals, most of which are linked to the country's two dominant religions, Islam and Christianity. One of the biggest celebrations in Nigeria is the annual Argungu Fishing Festival, which runs for four days in the northwestern state of Kebbi. The festival was first held in 1934 to mark the end of centuries-old hostilities between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom. The celebration involves thousands of men and women who jump into the river and do their best to catch the largest fish in an hour. The man or woman who catches the biggest fish takes home the prize, usually cash amounting to as much as 7,500 USD.

Another popular festival is the Eyo, also known as the Adamu Orisha Play. The Eyo Festival is unique to the city of Lagos. On the day of the festival, the city's main highway is closed to traffic and the white-clad Eyo, or masquerades, are allowed to go on a procession from Idumota to Iga Idunganran Palace. The first Eyo Festival was held on February 20th, 1854 to commemorate the life of Akintoye, the 11th Oba of Lagos who ruled from 1841 to 1845.

Nigeria does not offer much in terms of course variety. But what it lacks in diversity, it more than makes up for it in opportunities for cultural immersion and exploration. Most study programs in Nigeria are offered in the summer, although a few are open for the winter semester, providing the perfect opportunity to escape a cold winter for those from harsh winter nations, and some throughout the year.