Facts and statistics:
The area of Nigeria is around 923,768 kilometer squares. It has a population of 162.5 million according to the 2011 estimate. It is one of the most densely populated countries of Africa.
Location:
Nigeria is a country situated in the Western Africa and borders the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Guinea. Chad and Cameroon in the east, The Republic of Benin in the west and Niger in the north, are its neighboring countries with which Nigeria shares its borders. In the south of it lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Capital:
Its capital is Abuja.
Ethnic Division:
Ethnically, Nigeria is divided into 500 groups. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba can be said to be some of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Religions Practiced in Nigeria:
The two major religions practiced in Nigeria are Islam and Christianity. Among the Christian population of Nigeria, Protestants and Catholics are present in a percentage of 75 and 25 respectively. The Christian population precedes in numbers being the 50% of the population, whereas the Muslim population is around 47% and the rest of the 3% have other beliefs.
Language:
There are a number of different languages spoken in Nigeria, such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Edo, Fulfulde, and Kanuri. But the official language of Nigeria is English. Due to the global nature of the economy in Nigeria, there is widespread demand for legal translation providers.
Nigerian society and Culture:
Though the society is somewhat conservative especially where the Muslim population is, it has western influences over it as well. The dress, music and overall norms of the Nigerian society have a western touch, also because of the Christian population which has different values than the Muslims. Soccer is popular as a game and foods like Cassava and yam are quite popular, other than Nigerian beans and meat. Wine is also available and consumed because of the Christian population of Nigeria. The Nigerian society is a blend of the conservative and the liberal.
The people of Nigeria:
The people of Nigeria are warm and loving. They are more willing to overlook the cultural and social differences because they themselves live in a diverse society. The level of acceptance for foreigners is way more than other African countries. They appreciate being asked after their families, instead of being only talked to about business. They like and enjoy a humorous conversation and are also very witty themselves. They revere their older people and the opinion of the older person in the family carries more weight.
Business etiquettes in Nigeria:
Being one of the oil producing countries in Africa, Nigeria is now a place of interest for the foreign investors. Therefore, it is good to have knowledge about their business etiquettes. The people of Nigeria appreciate intimacy. The meetings start with a handshake and people ask after the health and well-being of the other person. The common pleasantries are very important in Nigeria before proceeding with the business. They often pat the shoulder of another fellow after a handshake. As is common, a Nigerian would take some time before considering someone as his friend. Gifts can play a good role in effective communication. Good humor can ward off tension and can make the meeting a pleasant one.
Oil Companies Operating in Nigeria
There are a large number of international oil companies with operations in Nigeria. This has sparked demand for Chinese, Russian, Portuguese and French translators among many others. A few of international oil companies operating in Nigeria include Total, Shell, ExxonMobile, Chevron, Texaco, Elf, Ashland, Esso, Texaco, Shell, Amoco, Conoco, Abacan, and Gazprom. Several of these companies have interests in the offshore drilling and are engaged in partnership with other operators.