The Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, known as Nigeria, is located on the African continent and borders on the south the Gulf of Guinea, on the east Cameroon, on the northeast Chad, Niger on the north, and Benin on the west.

Nigeria is divided into four sections: the north, south, east, and west. The Hausa kingom is located in the north, the Yoruba in the south and the west, and Ibo in south and the east. The Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba are the major ethnic group of Nigeria, but also refer to the kingom’s name and the culture and language of the area. There are many similarities between these kingdoms but also many recongnizable differences. For example, the Ibo’s have lighter skin than the Hausa and Yoruba people. Also, many Hausa’s and Yoruba’s have tribal markings on their face. The women of the Hausa kingdom typically where a headress covering their eyes and are known to be the less educated people of the country. The Ibo people are thought to be money-makers and business people of the country and almost all that is produced in Nigeria is produced primarily in the west by the Ibo’s. Women in the Yoruba kingdom are almost equal to men. Yoruba women inheret land and can acquire wealth, which is very unique treatment of most women throughout Nigeria.

Almost half of the Nigeria’s population identifies as Muslims, followed by nearly 35 percent Chirsitans, and more than 18 percent as other indigenous religions (Metz, 1991). But as different ethnic groups constitue specific regions in Nigeria, so do religions. The far northern areas of Nigeria have commonly been considered Muslim, but the middle belt has a mixture of Muslim and Christian followers. The south is traditionally considered Ch...

... middle of paper ...

...=web

Ogundipe-Leslie, ‘M. (no date). Nigeria: Not spinning on the axis of maleness. In

Morgan, R. (ed.), Sisterhood is global (pp. 498-504). New York: The Feminist

Press.

Overseas Development Council (March 2000). Reviewing U.S.-Nigeria relations:

New links to reinforce democracy. Lyman, P. & Cotton, L. Retrieved 28 April 2000 on the World Wide Web:

http://www.oneworld.org/anydoc2.cgi?doc_url=http://www.odc.org/commentary/vpmar00.html

Seager, Joni. (Ed.). (1997). The State of Women in the World Atlas. New York: Penguin

Books.

Semler, Vicki T, ed (1998). Rights of Women. International Women’s Tribune Centre.

(2), 29-35.

42nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women. (March 1998). Follow-up to

Beijing. No author. Retrieved on 28 April 2000 on the World Wide Web:

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/followup/national/africsum.htm