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Ah, the Giant of Africa, filled with beautiful landscapes, sounds, and cultures. The home to the biggest human population on the entire continent, and diverse enough in language and culture to reflect that fact! What are some of the less-known facts about this country Nigeria? What could this simple top ten list teach you about one of Africa’s greatest countries? How many will you already know? Keep reading to find out!
1. The richest black man in the world is Nigerian
Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Group (which is a business conglomerate that operates in commodities such as sugar, salt, real estate and oil), is a Nigerian businessman born in Kano, Nigeria. He runs his head offices from Lagos, and his net worth was estimated to be above 21 billion dollars in January 2015. This makes him the richest black man in the world.
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2. The Yoruba people have the highest rate of twins in the world
The little town of Igbo-Ora in Nigeria is also called the “Land of twins”. This is because the Yoruba people have the highest rates of twins in the world, roughly 50 pairs of twins for every 1000 births. Scientists aren’t quite sure why yet, but the theory is that the Yoruba diet, with the tuber root seeming to be the closest thing to a cause.
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3. 5 of the 10 richest pastors in the world live in Nigeria
According to Forbes, these 5 pastors each have a net worth value between 10 and a 150 million dollars! These 5 Nigerian preachers are: David Oyedepo, Chris Oyakhilome, E. A. Adeboye, Matthew Ashimolowo, and last but not least, the infamous TB Joshua. Most of these pastors gain their riches by “televangelising”, meaning to preach on a television channel.
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4. Nigeria is among the most corrupt countries in the world
Looking at the amount of money that is used for reckless spending, Nigeria unfortunately rates as one of the most economically corrupt countries in the world. Nigeria ranks 136th Most Corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International.
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5. The people in Ife-Ife once walked on art
In 1000AD, Queen Luwo, the twenty-first ruler of the ancient city called Ife-Ife, paved the streets with quartz stones and pieces of broken pottery to decorate the city.
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6. Language diversity
Although the official language of Nigeria is English, over 510 languages (not even including dialects) are spoken in the country itself. This means that 7% of the world’s languages are spoken in one country: Nigeria.
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7. Nollywood is one of the biggest film industries in the world
The Nigerian film industry, fondly called “Nollywood” is the second biggest producer of films in the world, beating the United States and trailing just behind India. The Nollywood industry is valued at more than $5 billion.
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8. Nigeria is butterfly country
Nigeria has the biggest number of butterfly species in the entire world, especially in the region of Calabar. Lucky!
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9. Nigeria is home to some of the happiest people in the world
According to studies done by the UK’s New Scientists Magazine, out of 65 countries Nigeria rated amongst the top in both optimism and happiness.
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10. One of the oldest civilizations in the world
The Nok civilization is the earliest in the country. Artifacts dated the Nok to around 500 BC.
NEXT: 9 African Presidents Who Left Power Peacefully. Click here >>>
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