Temperature variations and their effects on rainfall in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is located between Latitude 4° and 14°N and Longitude 2°45′and 14°30′E. To the north, the country is bounded by the Republics of Niger and Chad, in the west by the Republic of Benin, in the east by the Republic of Cameroon, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 13,000 km2 of the land is covered by water (1.4%) and the remaining 98.6% of the land cover ranges from thick mangrove forests and dense rain forests in the south to a near-desert condition in the northeastern corner of the country. The country takes its name from its most prominent river, the Niger. Nigeria has a land area of about 910,770 km2(Adeyinka et al., 2005); a north-south length of about 1,450 km and a west-east breadth of about 800 km. Its total land boundary is 4,047 km while the coastline is 853 km.