History of settlement and population
SETTLEMENT:
The first people to actually settle in the are of Nigeria is thought to be the Nok people from 500 B.C. to 200 A.D.. Following this event, more tribes of people came about such as the Kanuri, Hausa, and Fulani. From the 11th century until the 14th century, the empire of Kanem controlled and ruled over the area. During this time Islam was introduced. Major change happened during the 19th century. At the beginning, the Fulani empire was in power, until Britian seized power by the annexation of Lagos in 1851. By 1886, the Brittish had gained full control of the region and was using many of the people for slavery and the importation of slaves to other countries such as the United States. On January 1, 1901, Nigeria became a British protectorate, which meant they were a part of the British empire. By 1914, Nigeria was considered the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, and was divided by sections, the Northern and Southern Provinces and Lagos Colony. This affected settlement and population even to this day because, the southern portion was beginning to advance in western education and the development of a modern economy, while the northern region continued to stay stagnant.
As Nigeria continued to grow, there was a large amount of people who wanted Nigeria to become an independent country. After World War Two, there was a growth in Nigerian nationalism and a continued want for independence, thus leading to the British Government creating successive constitutions which moved Nigeria toward a self governing land. On October 1, 1960, The Federation of Nigeria was granted full independence.
POPULATION:
Nigeria's population has been growing at a rapid pace. Today Nigeria has the highest populace in Africa, seventh highest population in the world. There is over 160,000,000 people living in Nigeria and according to The New York Times, by a quarter century, that number will double. (Rosenthal, 2012).
Growing population
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Here is a chart of the growing population from the 1960's to present day. (World Bank, 2012). As you can see it is growing fast and it is a major problem due to the small amount of space available in the country where people live. In fact, due to poverty, many people live in small "Face Me, Face You" apartment blocks, which means whole families squeeze into 7 by 11 foot rooms. (Rosenthal, 2012).
Map of vegetation
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To the left is a map of the vegetation and different areas of Nigeria. As you can see the lower division of Nigeria, where the capital of Lagos lies, has a fresh water lagoon right next to it. Then in the middle portion you can see the Niger river running through Nigeria. Overall, Nigeria has a high amount of tall grass and woodland areas. There is a major section of short grass however as well as rain forest.
Settlement
Settlement is when a group of people choose an area to live in based off the resources that are available. This area then begins to grow and change in structure. Along with living in an area, rules are driven either from the people that live there or the people that govern there, the domestication of animals become a necessity as they are used for food and labor so there is no more hunting and gathering, and finally communities are formed. This brings forth a permanent human population. In Nigeria, densely populated settlements occur in the south-west along the coast, and in areas of the far north. It is very hard to find specifics into Nigerian settlement, however there is many articles on Nigeria's vast population which is dangerous in many ways.
Want to learn more?
Here are two other resources that can give you insight on Nigeria, specifically the history of settlement and population.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ad41
http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/nigeria/HISTORY.html
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ad41
http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/nigeria/HISTORY.html