NIGERIA

In South-Africa we have many Nigerian immigrants, and I wondered about the country of their origin.
I did some research and found interesting information.

The official name is the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country in West Africa, bordering Benin in the West, Chad and CThe Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. The coast is located on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.
It has 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital Abuja is located.

Nigeria has been under various kingdoms rules, and has had tribal states over millennia. It has a history of the Britsh colonial rule until it became independent in 1960, The British set up administrative and legal structures, through traditional chiefdoms, and so ruled the country indirectly. It has history of civil war, military and civil governments, and unstableness.
Nigerian has a very large population and strong economy. Nigeria is referred to as the "Gaint of Africa". Nigeria has the third largest youth population in the world, 90 million youth under the age of 18! It is a multinational state, with 250 different languages, and a variety of cultures.

Nigeria has a history dating back to 500BC. The Nok civilization of Northern Nigeria flourished between 500 BC and AD 200. The life-sized terracotta figures produced is known as the earliest known sculptures in Africa.
The oldest signs of human settlements that were found to be dated back to the 9th century and has terracotta and bronze figures.

The people if Nigeria traded for centuries overland with North Africa. Europeans traded with the Nigerians of the coast.
Slave trade resulted in many slave trade posts that are still found in Nigeria and many Slaves made their way to the British Isles, other parts of Europe and America. Descendants of the slaves can trace their genealogy back to Nigeria. I have personally met one of the descendants who did, in fact, trace her ancestry back, her ancestors were slaves and landed in America.
The slave traders originated in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, other African States an others.

There are many interesting and worthwhile places to visit in Nigeria. Just to mention a few that I would like to visit.
If you like animals, and want to see baboons, hippos elephants along with another 50 species of wildlife, fish and birds, enjoy The Marshall Cave Systems, or the Wiki Warm Springs, this would be an ideal holiday destination.

In the Okomu National park, situated in a rain forest, you can picnics, watching 150 varieties of birds, and there are while throated monkeys, forest elephants, and another 33 wildlife species.
the Ikogosu Warm Spring resort, is a natural wonder, as warm water flows side by side with a cold spring
An amazing and beautiful place is the historic Idanre Hill, in the Ondo State.

The hills are arranged in an amazing ways, almost as nature has used architectural design! With a total of 640 steps to rest the top. The surrounding scenery of green vegetation surrounding the hills and crystal clear rivers is breathtaking.

There are spectacular waterfalls, one example is the Owu Water Falls . It tumbles down 330 feet through rocky land cape form an icy cold pool below.
an interesting place is the Benin City National Museum that has an exhibition and array of artifacts, relating to the Benin Empire, terracotta, bronze figures and cast iron pieces.

There are over 40-holiday destinations with modern updated resorts and a number of other museums in Nigeria.
but in all I think is a worthwhile travel destination in Africa