Nigeria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria) is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean.
Nigeria is roughly divided in half between Christians, who live mostly in the South and central parts of the country, and Muslims, concentrated mostly in the north. A minority of the population practice traditional and local religions.
Sisters Home Visitors of Mary are blessed to serve ministries in Abudja, Gwagwalada and Ichana in central and south central Nigeria, along with more remote outlying areas.
Three cities: Abuja, Gwagwalada, Ichama
Abuja to Gwagwalada: 45 minutes drive time. About the same as driving from Detroit to Ann Arbor
Abuja to Ichama: 6 hours drive time. About the same as driving from Detroit to Louisville, KY
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Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world with 175 million souls – about 18 times as many men, women and children as the entire population of Michigan in a land area about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined.
Approximately 50% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, while the remaining 87 million people live in more rural areas. At least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000.
The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria’s hundreds of ethnic groups gives the country a broad cultural diversity. The country has over 50 languages and over 250 dialects and ethnic groups. The Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are the largest such ethnic groups. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Nigeria
Nigeria’s oil reserves have brought great revenues to the country in recent years and it is considered to be an emerging economy and major influence within its region. But violence, corruption and inequality continuously test the lives of its residents. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/nigeria
You will see reference to and pictures of Fula, or Fulani, people on this web site. The Fulani comprise different subgroups that are scattered across West Africa, from Senegal and Guinea on the western edge of the continent all the way east to Cameroon, as seen in this map.
Area populated by Fulani in west Africa
There are more than 40 million Fulani across this wide area. The different subgroups range from being sedentary, semi-nomadic, to fully nomadic. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_people