Travel the World - Nigeria

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world. By the end of 2021, I'd virtually traveled to 145 countries and plan to complete my journey to all 195 countries by visiting the last 50 this year.

This week's country is...

Nigeria

Located in the southeast of West Africa, Nigeria is bordered by Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. 

Nigeria is about twice the size of the state of California.

The terrain of Nigeria is varied: lowlands in the south, mountains in the southeast, central hills and plateaux, and plains in the north. 

The landscape of Nigeria varies with mangrove forests and swamps bordering the southern coast, and hardwood forests further inland.

Nigeria has 530 miles of coastline.

Nigeria is the seventh-most populous country in the world, home to more than 200 million people. While that may be a lot of people, population numbers would likely be even higher if it weren't for the country's high mortality rates and low life expectancy.

Nigeria is by far the most populated country in Africa. In fact, nearly one out of every five Africans is Nigerian.

Nigeria takes its name from the Niger River that flows through the west of the country to the Atlantic Ocean.

About 75% of the total population uses social media on a regular basis.

The majority of Nigerians use a smartphone rather than a computer or laptop. 

The Nigerian town of Igbo-Ora is known as the nation's home of twins. Many of the local Yoruba people believe their consumption of yams and okra leaves to be the cause of their high birth rate of twins. While some fertility experts believe that certain yams contain a natural hormone that could cause multiple ovulation, there is no scientific evidence of this phenomenon.

Lagos is also Africa’s largest city. Its population is estimated to be at least 21 million.

Nigeria also has one of the world’s lowest life expectancies. As of 2020, it was 54.3 – the fifth-lowest in the world.

Nigeria is home to Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man. With a net worth of over $17 billion in 2021, Dangote owns Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer.

English is the country’s official language, but Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani and Igbo are major languages too. There are over 500 additional indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria.

Zuma Rock is a large monolith, an igneous intrusion composed of gabbro and granodiorite. It rises spectacularly immediately north of Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Zuma Rock rises 2,379 feet above its surroundings.

The country's film industry, known as Nollywood, is one of the largest film producers in the world, second only to India's Bollywood.

About 200 movies are produced every week, which means that Nollywood produces more than 10 000 movies per year!

There are 12 national parks in Nigeria.

The Cocoa House which was built in 1965 in the city of Ibadan was once the tallest building in Africa.

Nigeria is home to Africa's oldest dye pit. Kofar Mata Dye Pit was established in 1498 and continues to preserve the traditional tye and dye production process. Methods and skills used are ancient and handed down from generation to generation.

There are 152 accredited universities in Nigeria.

Nigeria has over one million applicants to University each year.

Oil is the country's biggest export.

There are over 4,715 different plant species in Nigeria.

Football (soccer) is popular in Nigeria, the national team known as the "Super Eagles" have made 5 appearances at the World Cup, won the African Cup of Nations 3 times and won the football gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.

It is disrespectful to call an elder by his/her first name in Nigeria.

According to Nigerian practice, meat should be the last thing on the plate to be eaten.

It is considered disrespectful not to accept an elder's gift in Nigeria.

In Nigeria a man is forbidden to sleep in the home of his in-laws.

In Nigeria culture the moment women graduate, they are expected to marry and start birthing kids.

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about Nigeria... Nigeria is known for its beautiful and diverse butteries. There are currently over 1,000 documented species of butterflies but new species continue to be discovered.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Picket Fence Swallowtail Beauty stamped with Versafine Ink and heat embossed with SU Black Embossing Powder and MFT Amazing stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Paper: Neenah 110# Solar White and SU Lemon Lime Twist and Tempting Turquoise CS

Dies: Gina K Master Layout 2 and MFT Stitched Rectangles