Over three times
the size of the UK, Nigeria occupies 15% of West
Africa but has 56% of its people. It sits on the
Gulf of Guinea sandwiched to the north by Niger,
the east by Cameroon and the west by Benin. Most
of Nigeria is flat and unexciting apart from the
mountains that run along the Cameroon border, and
the lush tropical rainforest in the interior which
opens out onto the central grasslands of the Jos
plateau. To the east is the soggy,
mosquito-infested swamplands of the Bight of Benin
which hold Nigeria's most precious commodity, oil.
Nigeria has
extraordinary biological diversity but is facing
environmental disaster. Rapid deforestation is an
unfortunate consequence of its ever increasing
population and in West Africa only Côte d'Ivoire
cuts down trees at a faster rate. However, there
are still a number of reserves and national parks
where you can hang out with nature and get into
bird watching. Both the Yankari National Park and
the Gashaka Game Reserve are home to over 600
species of birds. Okomo Sanctuary and Cross River
National Park have less of the feathery animals
and more of the furry four-footed kind - chimps,
hippos, elephants and baboons - and if you're
lucky you may get a glimpse of a gorilla (once
thought to have packed up and left the area), at
Cross River National Park.
Like everything
else about Nigeria the climate is varied and
differs substantially from region to region. The
north is hot and dry with one long rainy season
from April to September, while in the south it is
hot and wet with the rainy season lasting from
March to November. Temperatures are slightly lower
in the tropical regions of the south but it's the
humidity that's a real killer. Relief from the
humidity only comes in December and January during
the Harmattan season when cool dry winds blow off
the desert.
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