The Nigerian flag was adopted after gaining independence from Britain in 1960. The flag was chosen in 1959 from more than 200 drafts and the winning “designer” was a student from the city Ibadan Michael Taiwo. Originally, the flag consisted of three vertical stripes – two green on sides and one white in-between. Moreover, there was a red sun in the middle of the white stripe, but it was omitted later on, so only three stripes remained till nowadays. The flag should evoke the river Niger undulating between the greenery of Nigerian fields and forests. Another interpretation says that Green refers to the agricultural tradition of Nigeria and that white stripe represents peace.
Nigeria’s greatest asset – its wealth of native races and religions, its vibrant population – have also proven its downfall on countless explosive occasions, and military overthrows, coups and assassinations have been numerous. The situation is particularly fraught in northern Nigeria, which is home to the jihadist group, Boko Haram (meaning “Western education is forbidden”).
[/section] [section padding__sm=”15px”] [title text=”Main information”]| Country | Nigeria |
| Capital city | Abuja |
| Population | 199,800,400 (2015) |
| Total area | 923,768 km2 |
| Formation | 1. 10. 1960 |
| Highest point | Chappal Waddi (2,419 m) |
| GDP | $1,166 trillion (2016) |
| Currency | nigerian naira (NGN) |
| Code | NG (NGA) |
| ISD Calling code | +234 |
| How to Dial | Please Add 00 or + as Prefix to these Codes |
| Internet TLD | .ng |
