CONTENT

LOCATION OF NIGERIA
Nigeria is located between latitude 40N and
140N of the equator and between longitude 30E
and 150E of the Greenwich meridian. Therefore
the latitudinal extent of Nigeria is about
100 (140N-40N) while the longitudinal extent is
120(150E-30E).
POSITION OF NIGERIA
Nigeria is in West Africa and centrally located
in Africa. Apart from the Atlantic ocean in the
south, she is surrounded by francophone
(French speaking) countries. She is bounded in
the west by Benin Republic, in the north by
Niger Republic, in the east by Cameroun
Republic, in the north-east by Chad Republic
and in the south by Atlantic Ocean.
SIZE OF NIGERIA
Nigeria is the fourth largest country in West
Africa in terms of land area after Niger, Mali
and Mauritania. The total land area of Nigeria is
approximately 923,768 square kilometres. The
greatest distance from east to west is
approximately 1,300km while from north to
south is about 1,100km.
In terms of population, Nigeria is the most
populous single country in Africa and the
seventh largest country in the world with a
population of about 200million persons based
on the united nation recent estimate.
POLITICAL DIVISION OF NIGERIA
The country, Nigeria came into existence in
1914 as a result of the amalgamation of the
Northern and Southern protectorates. She
became independent in 1960. As at
independence, the country had three regions
namely, North, East and West. The Northern
region had its headquarters in Kaduna, East in
Enugu and West in Ibadan.
In 1963, Nigeria became a republic and the
fourth region known as Mid-West was created
from the then Western region with its
headquarters in Benin City. The political
divisions remained four until 1967 when the
country was further divided into twelve states.
In 1976, the country was further divided into 19
states. In September 23rd 1987, two more states
were created, making the total number to be 21.
Nigeria presently has thirty six states and a
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja which is
the federal capital of Nigeria.
RELIEF (LOWLANDS AND HIGHLANDS)
Relief refers to the surface features of the land
above the sea level. Relief of Nigeria can be
 grouped into two main classes which are
lowlands and highlands.
Lowlands: Lowlands refer to the areas below
300m above sea level.
Areas of lowlands in Nigeria: Areas of
lowlands in Nigeria and their altitudes or
heights are as follows: The Sokoto plain in the
North West (200-300m), The Niger-Benue
trough/valley (100-300m), The Chad Basin or
Bornu plain (100-300m), The Niger-Delta (0-
100m), The Cross River Basin (120-180m), The
interior coastal lowland of Western Nigeria
(100-300m), The coastal plain (0-100m)
Rocks associated with lowlands
a.Coastal plain – Sedimentary rocks of alluvial
deposits
b. Niger-Benue trough – sedimentary rocks of
limestone, sandstone and shale
c.Sokoto plain – sand, clay, sandstone and
limestone
d. Chad basin – made up of sand and clay
Highlands: Highlands refer to areas over 300m
above sea level
 Areas of Highlands in Nigeria: The highlands
in Nigeria are grouped into four areas;
1. The North-Central Highlands: It lies in the
centre of Northern Nigeria around parts of
Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Jigawa and Plateau
states. Jos plateau (200-1500m) is found in this
highland and it is a Hydrological centre or
watershed with radial pattern of drainage in
which rivers like Hadeija, Kaduna and Sokoto
take their sources. The highest point of Jos
plateau is the Shere Hills (1650m)
2. The Western Highlands: The Western
highland or upland is found in the western part
of Nigeria around Oyo, Ondo, Kwara and Osun
states. Some of the important hills in the area
are; Idanre hill (950m) which is the highest
point, Apata hill (400-700m), Epeme hill (350-
600m). Rivers Ogun, Osun and Osse have their
sources from these highlands.
3. The Eastern Highlands: These are found in
the borders between Nigeria and cameroun.
They represent the highest zone in Nigeria.
Among them are; Mandara mountain (1200-
 1500m), Biu plateau (800-1000m), Adamawa
mountain (1800-2400m), Alantika and Shebshi
hills (1600-2000m), Obudu and Oban hills
(1200m). The rivers in these areas are Gana,
Ngoda, Yedseram which flows to lake Chad.
4. The Eastern scarp-land: This is found within
the South eastern region og Nigeria, especially
around Enugu and Nsukka. The major highland
in this area is the Udi-Nsukka plateau (300-
600m). Rivers Omanbala, Imo and Cross have
their sources from this scarp-land.
Major Rock Types in Highlands
a.The North central plateau, western highlands,
Mandara mountain, Shebshi, Alantika, Obudu
and Oban hills are made up of basement
complex rocks (combination of igneous and
metamorphic rocks)
b. Jos plateau is made up of volcanic rocks.
c.Udi hills are made up of carboniferous
sedimentary rocks.
DRAINAGE IN NIGERIA
 Drainage refers to water bodies like rivers and
lakes. Drainage of Nigeria can be discussed in
two parts – rivers and lakes.
Rivers in Nigeria
Nigeria is drained by two main rivers – Rivers
Niger and Benue.
Rivers Niger, the largest river in Nigeria has its
source from Guinea highlandsin Guinea. It
passes through Mali and Niger Republic to
Nigeria.
Rivers Benue has its source from eastern
highlands and joins the Niger at Lokoja.
Because of this, Lokoja is known as
a confluence town.

Characteristics of Nigerian Rivers

1. The volume of the rivers changes with
season
2. There is presence of rapids and cataracts
which impede or disturb inland navigation
3. There is presence of debris like dead leaves,
mud and woods
4. The colour changes with season
5. Rivers in the south flows in the north-south
direction into the sea while rivers in the north
flow in a radial pattern to different directions.
River Basins : River basin refers to the area
generally drained by a river and its tributaries.
In other words, they are naturally depressed low
land areas. River basin is also called Catchment
area.
In Nigeria, there are five major river basins.
These are: (i) The Niger Basin (ii) The Benue
Basin (iii) The Chad Basin (iv) The Cross River
Basin (v) The South Atlantic Basin.
Lakes in Nigeria: A lake of is a body water
surrounded by land. The lakes in Nigeria are
grouped into two major types.
1. Man-made lake or artificial lake: These are
lakes constructed by man. Examples are Lake
Kainji on River Niger and Shiroro Lake on
River Kaduna.
2. Natural Lake: These are lakes which exist
naturally. Example is Lack Chad. Lake Chad is
also described as an inland drainage because it
receives water from many rivers such as
Hadeija, Gana, Yobe, Yedseram etc.
CLASS ACTIVITY
Students would watch videos about Nigerian
Geography and history
EVALUATION
Each class is to make a presentation on these
topics
i) The tourist attractions of the North
Western, North Eastern and North Central
geopolitical zones of Nigeria (10 A).
ii) The tourist attractions of the South
Western, South Eastern and South-South
geopolitical zones of Nigeria (10 B).
iii) Nigeria through the ages (10 C)
ASSIGNMENT
1. Write the 36 states in Nigeria, their
capital, slogan and the geopolitical zones
2. State any two disadvantages of lowlands
3. State any three disadvantages of
highlands
4. On a diagram map of Nigeria, show the
major drainages in Nigeria