Nigeria is Africa’s most populated nation with over 200 Million inhabitants and the country is also one of Africa’s largest countries when land mass is taking into consideration.
Its is also the most economically vibrant nation in the whole of Africa with many natural resources (oil being one) and super talented individuals to boast of.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is located in Western Africa along the Golf of Guinea and it share borders with Benin Republic in the West, Cameroon in the East, Niger Republic in the North, and Chad in the North-East.
Lets take a look at Nigeria’s neighboring countries in detail below.
List Of Nigeria’s Neighboring Countries Explained
As mentioned above, Nigeria shares borders with 4 neighboring countries 3 West Africa and 1 in Central Africa. These countries are listed below alongside some things you need to know about them.
1) Republic of Benin
The Republic of Benin is a French speaking or francophone country located in West Africa and it is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. Benin shares borders with the South-Western Nigeria.
This West-African country was formerly known as the Kingdom of Dahomey before gaining its independence from France on the 1st of August, 1960. Benin is also a very small country with an estimated population of around 11.7 Million people as of 2019 and it spans across a land area of 112,622 sq. km.
Its capital city, Port-Novo is the country’s economic capital as most top businesses in the country are located there. French is the most spoken language in Benin and this doesn’t come as a shock as the country was colonized by France and has French as its official language.
Other popular languages in the Republic of Benin include Fon and Yoruba as these are the native languages of most people who live there. Most of its citizens are predominately Christians with handful of Muslims and traditional worshipers.
2) Cameroon
Cameroon is also another popular country in Central-Africa which shares borders with Eastern Nigeria. Although the country is not part of the ECOWAS, it is geographically and historically in West Africa.
This Central-African country is home to more than 26 Million people who are mostly subsistence or commercial farmers. The country also known for exporting agricultural products including bananas, cocoa, oil palms, rubber, and tea to other top countries namely the Netherlands, France, China, Belgium, Italy, Algeria, and Malaysia.
English and French are the two most popular languages spoken in Cameroon with others being Cameroonian Pidgin, Fula, Ewondo and Camfranglais. Religions practiced in this country are Christianity, Islam and a handful of Cameroonians are traditional worshipers.
Cameroon is also one of the most populated countries in Central Africa and its landmass is estimated to be around 475,442 km2. Its capital city, Yaoundé is the country’s most economically vibrant city and the administrative capital of the country.
3) Niger Republic
Niger which is officially known as Niger Republic is a landlocked country located in Western Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Benin to the southwest, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Mali to the north-west, Burkina Faso to the south-west, and Algeria to the northwest.
The country occupies an estimated land area of around 1,270,000 km2 (490,000 sq mi), making it the largest country in West Africa in terms of land mass. It is also home to more than 22 million people who are mostly Muslims with a handful of Christians and traditional worshipers.
Niger was originally a territory of France before getting its independence on the 3rd of August, 1960. Unlike most countries in the West-African region, Niger Republic doesn’t have any ocean as it is a completely landlocked region.
The country shares border with Northern Nigeria and its economy is centered around subsistence crops and livestock. Popular languages in Niger republic include Arabic, Buduma, Fulfulde, Gourmanchéma, Hausa, Kanuri and more.
4) Republic Of Chad
Chad which is also known as the Republic of Chad is a country located in Western Africa and share borders with North-Eastern Nigeria. Like the region which its shares borders with, Chad has also had its share on the Boko-Haram insurgency which is currently ravaging the North-Western states in Nigeria.
The country was named after the popular Lake Chad which is one of Africa’s largest natural lakes. Chad has a an estimated population of around 14 Million people spread across over 200+ ethnic and linguistic groups.
Muslims make up around 51% of the country’s population while Christians make up around 44% of the population. There are also a handful of traditional worshipers in the country, but Islam and Christianity and the two dominant religions in Chad.
Chad is the 7th poorest country in the world according to the United Nations Human Development Index and the country’s economy is mostly based around export of crude oil and cotton. According to Wikipedia, over 80% of Chad’s population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood.
Wrapping Up
If you wanted to know how many countries share border with Nigeria, then we hope this article was able to educate you on that, and if it did, don’t forget to share it via the share buttons available below.
