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 The Benin Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. Other early independent kingdoms and states that make up present-day Nigeria are: Borgu Kingdom, Fulani Empire, Kwararafa Kingdom, Ibibio Kingdom, Nupe Kingdom, Warri Kingdom.
The modern political state of Nigeria has its origins in the British colonisation of the region during the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. After the slave trade, The British were in the Niger- Benue area to pursue their interests, which were largely economic and strategic. The first critical step was taken in 1849 when the British created a consulate for the two Bights that were notorious for slave trade in the Niger - Benue region. From here, one thing led to another for the British, especially to deepen involvement in the political and economic life of the city states of the Bights and to rivalry with the French who also began showing imperial ambitions in the area. The Berlin (Germany) Conference of 1884 and 1885 provided the Northern and Southern Nigeria Colony and Protectorate to the British. The Southern and Northern Nigeria Protectorates were unified by Sir Frederick Lugard 0n 1st of January 1914 into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. During the colonial period, the British set up administrative and legal structures whilst retaining traditional chiefdoms.
Nigeria gained independence on 1st of October 1960 from Great Britain, seven years later Nigeria was plunged into civil war. The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War was fought from 6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970. The conflict was the result of economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions. Over the two and half years of the war at least one million people died.
The First Republic (Nigeria first democratic rule) lasted only 6 years after gaining independence in 1960 before the first of many military coups in 1966. Democracy was briefly restored from 1979 to 1983, but for most of its independent history, Nigeria was ruled by a series of military rules. Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar made the transition to democracy in 1999. Elections were held and retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, who had previously governed Nigeria as a military ruler, was elected the new president. The 2011 presidential elections that brought President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to power has being viewed by the International Community as the first to be conducted reasonably freely and fairly in Nigeria.
Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", due to its large population and economy With approximately 174 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world The country is inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Regarding religion, Nigeria is roughly divided in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern and central parts of the country, and Muslims, concentrated mostly in the northern and south western regions. A minority of the population practice religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to Igbo and Yoruba peoples.
Nigeria has been identified as a regional power in Africa. Its economy (GDP) in 2014 became the largest in Africa, worth more than $500 billion, and overtook South Africa to become the world's 26th largest economy. Furthermore, the debt-to-GDP ratio is only 11 percent (8 percent below the 2012 ratio), and Nigeria is expected to become one of the world's top 20 economies by 2050. The country's oil reserves have played a major role in its growing wealth and influence. Nigeria is considered to be an Emerging market by the World Bank. It is also a member of the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) group of countries, which are widely seen as the globe's next "BRIC-like" (Brazil, Russia, India, China) economies. It is also listed among the "Next Eleven" economies set to become among the biggest in the world. Nigeria is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, OPEC, and the United Nations among other International organizations
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Today’s Nigeria is the site of numerous ancient kingdoms and empires, Archaeological research, has shown that people were already living in south-western part as early as 11,000 BC and perhaps earlier at in south-eastern of today’s Nigeria, the earliest identified iron-using culture of Nigeria is that of the Nok culture that dates back to 500 BC.
Several ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is currently Nigeria, known civilizations that settles in Nigeria are the Nri Kingdom considered to be the foundation of Igbo culture, the Songhai Empire also occupied part of the Nigeria region, Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the North part of Nigeria, the Yoruba kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in south western Nigeria. 
Generalkonsulat von Nigeria Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland 
