Nigeria is an African country with a land area of 923,768 square kilometers (228 million acres) with a population of 200 million and counting. It is the most populated country in Africa and seventh in the world. Its huge population earned Nigeria the moniker “Giant of Africa.” The country got its name from the Niger River that runs through the country. Niger is the principal river in West Africa.
The country is rich in culture and it is very diverse too. There are 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria and they have varied customs as well as languages—although, English is the official language of the country. This diversity results in various fun events. Most tourists visit Nigeria because of its ethnic festivities. Nigeria’s film industry is also a thriving one and is dubbed Nollywood. Nollywood is among the top three largest producers of movies after Hollywood and Bollywood.
There is a large oil industry in Nigeria, which has become a cause of conflict. The nation is the 12th largest oil producer in the world. There have been some oil spills in the country, too, which caused environmental problems. Oil was not the only environmental problem in the country since it is also experiencing rampant deforestation. This is unfortunate because Nigeria has such beautiful natural resources. Tourists should visit these five national parks to enjoy landscapes and refreshing water bodies as well as some wildlife:
1. Chad Basin National Park
As the name suggests, this protected area is found in the Chad Basin, a closed basin that centers on Lake Chad, which serves four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. There are three sectors within the park: Bade-Nguru Wetlands, Bulatura, and Chingurmi-Duguma. Each sector has its own set of attractions.
The Chingurmi-Duguma sector contains vegetation of Acacia-Balanites woodlands with some elephant grass and sorghum. The area is a floodplain that becomes a wetland during the rainy season, owing much of it from the Dorma River. It becomes an important habitat for visiting water birds like the helmeted guineafowl and white stork during the rainy season. Among the permanent fowl, residents are black-crowned crane and demoiselle crane. There are also around 100 elephants in this sector.
The Bade Nguru Wetlands is also popular among water birds. This sector also houses the Dagona Waterfowl Sanctuary, which is an important roosting area for migratory birds. The Balatura sector is more prominent for its potash deposits. But it also has some scenic dunes that tourists can enjoy.
2. Gashaka Gumti National Park
This is Nigeria’s largest national park with an area of 6,402 square kilometers (1.6 million acres). It makes sense that the animal population in the park is also high since it has a vast area. There are also different landscapes in the park that hosts different ecosystems. There are savannah grasslands, forested mountains, as well as valleys and gorges. Chappal Waddi, the country’s highest peak at 2,419 meters, is located in this park. There are so many things to enjoy in this park.
The fauna, is, of course, the most popular attraction. The highest population of chimpanzees in Nigeria is found in this park. This prompted the government to form the Gashaka Primate Project to protect the primate population in the area. Other animal residents of the park include African buffaloes, African elephants, African golden cats, giant elands, hartebeests, klipspringers, kob and roan antelopes, mountain reedbucks, oribi, West African wild dogs, and yellow-backed duikers.
This park is also an Important Bird Area. In fact, over a million birds are estimated to either live or frequent the park. This is also one of only two parks where the red-headed lovebird can be found.
3. Kainji National Park
There are three distinct sections in the park: Kainji Lake, which has an important fish population so fishing is restricted; Borgu Game Reserve and Zugurma Game Reserve, which have a significant wildlife population. The park is considered a Lion Conservation Unit. Lake Kainji is home to 82 species of fish. The African manatee can also be found in the area.
Among the animals that live in the park are African wild dogs, antelopes, caracals, cheetahs, elephants, hippopotamuses, honey badgers, leopards, Senegal bushbabies, and various species of monkeys. There are also various species of crocodiles in the park’s river system.
4. Old Oyo National Park
This park is not just significant for its natural resources. It is also an important historical place as it is supposedly the capital of the ancient Oyo Empire, the seat of the Yoruba people, one of the three dominant ethnic groups in Nigeria. The ruins from the Oyo Empire can be found within the park.
The park was formed from two forest reserves: Upper Ogun, which was established in 1936, and Oyo-Ile, established in 1941. The two were combined into one game reserve in 1952 then elevated into a national park. It is characterized as lowland plains. The water bodies that run through the park are Tessi, Ogun, and Owe Rivers. There are also hills surrounding the park, which are great for those who want to hike and get a better vantage view of the entire park.
There used to be a significant population of West African wild dogs within the territory. However, hunting had caused this species to become classified as a critically endangered animal. They are now rarely seen in the park with some believing that it has become extinct in the area.
5. Okomu National Park
There is a large threat to the sustainability of this park as unscrupulous people continue to illegally cut the trees in the area, causing wildlife to lose their habitat. Poaching of elephants has also been discovered, which is why sightings of African elephants are rare. There are still African buffaloes in the area and the bird population is still thriving with around 150 species being documented.
There is a significant number of white-throated guenons in the park. This species of primate is considered vulnerable. The swamps have become homes to a good number of dwarf crocodiles. In other parts of the park, there are civet cats, Maxwell’s duikers, mona monkeys, red river hogs, sitatunga, tree pangolins, and warthogs.