Culture+and+History

Culture
Ethnic Groups: · Has more than 250 ethnic groups o Hausa and Fulani: 29% o Yoruba: 21% o Igbo (Ibo): 18% o Ijaw: 10% o Kanuri: 4% o Ibibio: 3.5% o Tiv: 2.5% Religions: · Muslim: 50% · Christian: 40% · Indigenous beliefs: 10% English is the official language


 * History **

**500 B.C. - 200 A.D.: ** Nok culture flourishes. The Nok create clay figurines of human heads and animals, which are prized today.  **1472: ** Portuguese settlers become the first Europeans to live in Nigeria. Other Europeans follow.  **1800s: ** The Muslim Fulani empire rules the region.  **1903: ** Britain takes control of Nigeria, creating a system of indirect rule through local kings and chiefs.  **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1914: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Britain unites the northern and southern regions, forming the Colony of Nigeria. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1958: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Nigerian Chinua Achebe's //Things Fall Apart// is published. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1960: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Nigeria gains independence from Britain and joins the United Nations. A new constitution and government are adopted. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1966: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The military takes control of the government. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1967-1970: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The eastern region of Nigeria secedes and proclaims itself the Republic of Biafra. This leads to a civil war that kills about 1 million people. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1970s: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">An oil boom occurs. A great surge in world oil prices boosts Nigeria's economy. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1979: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Nigeria briefly returns to civilian government rule. The military takes over again in 1983. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1986: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Wole Soyinka is the first African to be honored with the Nobel Prize for literature. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1996: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Nigeria wins the gold medal in soccer in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">1999: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Military rule ends. Nigerians vote in free presidential elections. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">2003: **<span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Olusegun Obasanjo is elected president, marking the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history. Still, election observers express concern over irregularities in voting. <span style="color: #474747; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">

good website for 21st century events with article links to each event []