KS3 · Geography

Physical and human geography of Nigeria

Is Nigeria just 'the country with the oil'? Travel from its swampy southern delta to the edge of the Sahel and watch the land, rain, jobs and climate threats change.

Geography · Nigeria

Journey from the Atlantic coast to the Sahel

A schematic journey from south to north across Nigeria. The zones are equal in width and not to scale. The heights only show that the Niger Delta is low-lying and the Jos Plateau is elevated. Tap a zone to step along the journey.

Zone 1 of 3

Niger Delta and southern coast

Start at the wet end. The Niger Delta is a low-lying, swampy area in the south, and this is where rainfall is highest. It's also where most of Nigeria's oil reserves are, and the southern coast has several large ports, including Lagos. That helps make the south richer. The catch: low land beside the sea floods easily. Flooding is already common in most of Nigeria, especially in the wet season, and more frequent, more intense flooding plus rising sea levels raise the risk on low-lying coasts. Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, is threatened by both.

  • Low-lying, swampy land by the Atlantic
  • Highest rainfall in the country
  • Most of Nigeria's oil reserves
  • Large ports, including Lagos
  • Richer than the north
  • Main threats: flooding and sea level rise
  • Responses: flood barriers, storm water drainage channels, better waste management, flood-resilient homes and warning systems

Going north, rainfall falls from highest to lowest, the oil and ports of the south give way to lower average incomes, and the main climate threat changes from flooding and rising seas to desertification.

Watch out: The Niger Delta, the Jos Plateau, Lagos and the Sahel are places within Nigeria. They show how one country changes from south to north. They are not separate countries.

Geography · Nigeria's economy

What does Nigeria's economy run on?

Pick an activity, then choose the sector it belongs to.

Still to sort

Agriculture (0)

Growing crops, by both commercial and subsistence farming. Nearly a quarter of Nigeria's GDP.

Where the line is: Palm oil is one of Nigeria's major crops, so it belongs here. Don't let the word 'oil' fool you.

Manufacturing (0)

Making goods such as cement, electronics, fertilisers, textiles, food products and pharmaceuticals.

Services (0)

A sector that is growing rapidly, year on year.

Trade (0)

Connecting Nigeria with other countries through exporting, plus small-scale trading.

Oil and gas (0)

Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil producers, with most reserves in the Niger Delta.

9 of 9 still to sort.

It isn't only oil. Sort each activity into its sector.

Geography · Jobs in Nigeria

How many jobs sit outside the official records?

The informal job sector means jobs that are not officially recorded or regulated and don't involve paying taxes. Out of every 10 employed people in Nigeria, about how many work in it?

Your estimate

5 in 10

0 in 1010 in 10

Geography · Oil

Has oil been good for Nigeria?

The claim

Oil has been good for Nigeria.

Place each piece of evidence to load the balance. Mark the strong ones — they count double.

  1. Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil producers.

    Evidence 1: does it support or challenge the claim?

  2. Oil brings wealth, jobs and economic growth.

    Evidence 2: does it support or challenge the claim?

  3. Oil also brings corruption and inequality, and many people in Nigeria don't benefit from oil revenue.

    Evidence 3: does it support or challenge the claim?

  4. Oil extraction has environmental impacts that harm people and ecosystems.

    Evidence 4: does it support or challenge the claim?

  5. Nigeria's economy has grown, but millions of people still live in extreme poverty.

    Evidence 5: does it support or challenge the claim?

  6. GDP per capita is only an average, so some people have much more wealth than others.

    Evidence 6: does it support or challenge the claim?

Geography · Climate change

Who suffers most from climate change?

Nigeria already deals with flooding on its southern coast and desertification in the north. Who gets hit hardest by climate change, and why?

Which is closest to what you think right now?
How sure are you?

How the past still shapes Nigeria

Borders, the names of countries and their size can change over time, often because of conflict or warfare that causes significant political change.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

One country, two very different ends. Travel from the wet south to the semi-arid north and see what changes.

What you need to know

  • Nigeria is in West Africa, one of the continent's largest countries, with an Atlantic coastline to the south and four neighbours.
  • Have a goOn some map projections, Nigeria and France look about the same size. Which country do you think is actually bigger?

    Nigeria is much bigger than France.

    Some map projections make the two look a similar size, so how big a country looks on a map isn't a reliable guide.

  • A GIS is a computer mapping system. Each layer, such as population density or income levels, shows one kind of geographic data.
  • Weather is the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere. Climate is the average over a long time, usually 30 years or more.
  • Have a goYour mate says: 'It chucked it down all day yesterday, so our climate is basically rainy.' Weather or climate?

    That's weather. Climate would need a long-run average, usually 30 years or more.

    One rainy day describes the day-to-day atmosphere, so it can't tell you the climate of a place.

  • Climate varies with latitude, altitude and how close a place is to the sea.
  • Rainfall is highest in the south and lowest in the north, and Nigeria has a wet season and a dry season.
  • Have a goImagine you set off from the Atlantic coast and head north across Nigeria. Does the rainfall go up or down as you travel?

    It goes down: it is highest in the south and lowest in the north.

    Don't assume the whole country gets the same rain. Nigeria's rainfall changes from south to north.

  • The south is richer, thanks to its cities, ports and oil. The north has lower average incomes and higher poverty rates.
  • GDP per capita is GDP divided by the population. It is an average, so some people have far more than others.
  • Have a goIn imaginary Pixelland, people make £100 million of goods and services in a year, and 10,000 people live there. What is the GDP per capita?

    £10,000 per person (£100 million ÷ 10,000).

    GDP per capita is GDP divided by the population, but it is still an average, so it doesn't mean every person has £10,000.

  • Nigeria's economy is far more than oil: agriculture, manufacturing, services and trade all matter too.
  • Nigeria is more vulnerable to climate change than many countries, because of both physical and human factors.
  • Britain colonised the region of modern-day Nigeria in the 1800s, and colonial legacies still shape its economy and society.

The big picture

Nigeria is a large West African country that changes dramatically from south to north: wetter, low-lying, oil-rich and richer in the south, semi-arid with lower incomes in the north. Its economy is diverse, its wealth is shared unevenly, and its regions face different climate threats, which is why climate justice matters.

Key points

1Nigeria changes from south to north: the south is wetter, low-lying, oil-rich and richer; the north is semi-arid, with lower average incomes and higher poverty rates.
2Rainfall is highest in the south and lowest in the north, and climate varies with latitude, altitude and closeness to the sea.
3Nigeria's economy is diverse, and around nine in every 10 employed people work in the informal job sector.
4Oil brings wealth, jobs and growth, but also corruption, inequality and environmental harm, and many people don't benefit.
5The south faces flooding and sea level rise and the north faces desertification, and climate justice says higher-income countries should help fund adaptation.

Worked example

Problem

Explain why a subsistence farmer in Nigeria is especially vulnerable to climate change.

⚠ Watch out

Treating Nigeria as one uniform place that depends only on oil. It's a large, varied country with a diverse economy, deep inequalities between regions and people, and vulnerabilities shaped by both physical and human factors.

🧠

Memory hook

South: water rising. North: sand spreading. Same country, opposite threats.

✓

Check yourself

Compare the south and the north of Nigeria in three ways: rainfall, average income, and the main climate threat. Then name one way Nigeria is adapting to each threat.

Flashcards

(15)
What is a GIS, and what is a layer?
A GIS is a computer mapping system that captures and displays geographic data to show spatial patterns. A layer is one kind of geographic data on a digital map, such as population density, income levels or land use.
Weather or climate: which is the long-term average?
Climate: the average of weather conditions over a long period, usually 30 years or more. Weather is the day-to-day condition of the atmosphere.
What is latitude?
The position of a place north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees.
What is altitude?
Height above sea level.
Which three things make climate vary from place to place?
Latitude, altitude and how close a place is to the sea.
What is a monsoon?
A seasonal change in wind direction that brings a very rainy season or a very dry season.
What is the Sahel?
A semi-arid region of west and north central Africa where land is slowly turning into desert. The north of Nigeria is within it.
What is desertification, and why is it a threat in northern Nigeria?
Land slowly turning into desert. In the north, changing rainfall and higher temperatures make droughts more likely and more severe.
What is a stakeholder?
A person who has an interest in a given resource. Different stakeholders often have different views on the future of Nigeria's oil industry.
What is subsistence farming?
Growing only enough food to feed yourself and your family.
What is the informal job sector?
Jobs that are not officially recorded or regulated and don't involve paying taxes.
What is GDP per capita, and what is its limit?
GDP divided by the total population. It is an average, so some people have much more wealth than others.
What is inequality?
When something is not shared evenly between everyone, such as access to education and healthcare, job opportunities or technology.
What is extreme poverty?
Not having enough money to afford basic human needs such as food, clothing or somewhere to live.
What is climate justice?
The idea that some people and countries are affected by climate change more than others, and that those most affected have often contributed least to causing it.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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