Nigeria
Map & Geography- Important Cities, Topography: Katrina Moore
Location
Nigeria is located in West Africa. Its shares borders with the Republic of Benin in the
west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. It coast is on the Gulf of
Guinea, and it touches Lake Chad.
Maps
Geography
Nigeria is in the tropics. It has highlands, rivers, and many plateaus including Adamawa
highlands, Mambilla Plateau, Jos Plateau, Obudu Plateau, the Niger River, River Benue,
and Niger Delta.
Climate
Nigeria is found in the Tropics, where the climate is seasonally damp and very humid.
Nigeria is affected by four climate types; these climate types are distinguishable, as one
moves from the southern part of Nigeria to the northern part of Nigeria through Nigeria’
middle belt. Nigeria receives more than 158 in. of rain annually. The temperature rarely
falls below 64°F (18°C) or above 104°F (40°C).
In the rainforests of Nigeria, the temperatures range from 78.8°F (26°C) to 82.4°F (28°C)
depending on the season. The southern part of Nigeria usually has two rainy peaks
annually where abundant rain falls for many days and weeks, and then two dry spells
each year when no rain falls for long periods. The Sothern’s climate ranges from 65°F
(18.45°C) to 96.89°F (36°C).
Seasons
Most countries in West Africa, such as Nigeria, only have two seasons, the Dry Season,
and the Rainy Season. The dry season is hot, dusty, and parched. The rainy season has
many large and abundant rain showers. Each season can last between 3 months and 6
months.
Topography
Nigeria’s topography mostly consists of plains in the north and south with plateaus and
hills in the center of the country. The Sokoto Plains lie in the northwestern corner of the
country, while the Borno Plains in the northeastern corner extend as far as the Lake Chad
basin. The Lake Chad basin and the coastal areas, including the Niger River delta and the
western parts of the Sokoto region in the far northwest, are underlain by soft, geologically
young sedimentary rocks.
Gently undulating plains, which become waterlogged during the rainy season, are found
in these areas. The characteristic landforms of the plateaus are high plains with broad,
shallow valleys dotted with numerous hills or isolated mountains, called inselbergs; the
underlying rocks are crystalline, although sandstones appear in river areas. The Jos
Plateau rises almost in the centre of the country; it consists of extensive lava surfaces
dotted with numerous extinct volcanoes.
Other eroded surfaces, such as the Udi-Nsukka escarpment (see Udi-Nsukka Plateau),
rise abruptly above the plains at elevations of at least 1,000 feet (300 metres). The most
mountainous area is along the southeastern border with Cameroon, where the Cameroon
Highlands rise to the highest points in the country, Chappal Waddi (7,936 feet [2,419
metres]) in the Gotel Mountains and Mount Dimlang (6,699 feet [2,042 metres]) in the
Shebshi Mountains.