**2. Brief profile of Nigeria**

Nigeria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and has a total area of 923,768 km2 . It shares a 4,047 km border with Benin (773 km), Niger (1497 km), Chad (87 km) and Cameroon (1690 km), with a coastline of at least 853 km. Nigeria lies between latitudes 4° and 14°N, and longitudes 2° and 15°E. Nigeria has about174 million inhabitants and is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. The country has over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40% of GDP and 80% of Government earnings.
