Society and culture
Due to a high number of ethnic groups in the country, Nigeria has a very diverse culture. Nigeria is famous for its English language literature and its popular music. Since the 1990s the Nigerian movie industry, sometimes called "Nollywood" has emerged(to become known, to come out of a situation) as a fast-growing cultural force(anything that is able to make a big change in a person or thing) all over the continent. All over the country, and even increasingly in the conservative north, western music, dresses and movies are ever popular.
Population
Nigeria is the most populous(having a large population; densely populated) country in Africa. The United Nations estimates that the population in 2009 was at 154,729,000, distributed(to classify or separate into categories) as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometer. Nigeria has been undergoing explosive population growth and one of the highest growth and fertility(the birthrate of a population) rates in the world. Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs(habitual practice; method of doing or living), creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The largest ethnic groups are the Fulani/Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, accounting for 68% of the population, while the Edo, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Ebira Nupe and Tiv comprise 27%. There are many small minorities, for example of British, American, East Indian and Chinese origin.
Languages
The number of languages currently estimated in Nigeria is 521. This number includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and nine extinct(no longer used; obsolete, discontinued) languages. In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria is English. It was chosen to facilitate(to make easier) the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. Still, English remains an exclusive preserve(something that is protected, kept, maintained) of a small minority of the country's urban elite(of high birth or social position), and it is not spoken at all in some rural areas.
Religion
Nigeria is home to a variety of religions which tend(to be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain characteristic) to vary regionally. This situation has often been seen as a source of sectarian(between different sects of the same religion) conflict amongst the population. The largest religions of Nigeria are Islam and Christianity, including many followers of indigenous(native to an area or a country) religions. Based on a 2003 survey, 50.5% were Muslim, 48.2% were Christian (15% Protestant, 13.7% Catholic, and 19.6% other Christian), and followers of other religions were 1.4%. The core north is largely Muslim while southern regions are predominantly(mostly, frequently by a large margin)Christian. Other minority religious and spiritual groups in Nigeria include Hinduism, Judaism, The Bahá’í Faith, and Chrislam.