More than 162 million people are estimated to live in Nigeria, making it the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous nation in the world.
It is 356,669 square miles in size, making it more than double the size of California.
Nigeria is located in west Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon. It is home to more than 250 ethnic groups, the three biggest being the Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo. English is the official language but in many rural areas only local languages are used.
Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa's second largest economy after South Africa, and Africa's top exporter of crude oil.
It is generally hot all year round, with little variation between winter and summer, although March to August are the wettest months to visit Nigeria.
Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 8 May 2012
