Nigeria Language Areas

There are over 500 known languages in Nigeria. While the official language is English, its use is largely confined to urban elites. The most commonly used languages are Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo) and Fulfulde. Edo, Efik, Adamawa Fulfulde, Idoma, and Central Kanuri are also widely spoken. The area of greatest diversity is the ‘Middle Belt’, the band of territory stretching across the country between the large language blocs of the north and the south. The reason for this diversity remains unclear, but three of Africa's four language families meet in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. This has had sociolinguistic consequences where frequent conflicts have erupted between the culture and language of particular groups. ISO3 - International Organization for Standardization 3-digit country code LANG_FAM - Language family LANG_SUBGP - Language sub-family SOURCE_DT - Primary source creation date SOURCE - Primary source Collection This shapefile created by using Anthromapper consists of language layers that have been based on The World Language Mapping System (WLMS). Geographical terrain features, combined with a watershed model, were also used to predict the likely extent of ethnic and linguistic influence. The HGIS and metadata were supplemented with anthropological information from peer-reviewed journals and published books. The interpretation of names often produces multiple spellings of the same language; therefore similarly spelled or phonetic titles may be referencing the same language group. The data included herein have not been derived from a registered survey and should be considered approximate unless otherwise defined. While rigorous steps have been taken to ensure the quality of each dataset, DigitalGlobe Analytics is not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data compiled from outside sources. Sources (HGIS) Anthromapper. DigitalGlobe Analytics, April 2013. World Language Mapping System (WLMS) Version 16. World GeoDatasets, April 2013. Sources (Metadata) Roger, Blench. "Position Paper: The Dimensions of Ethnicity, Language, and Culture in Nigeria." Last modified 2013. Accessed March 26, 2013. http://www.rogerblench.info. Roger, Blench. “The Status of the Languages of Central Nigeria.” Last modified 2013. Accessed March 26, 2013. http://www.rogerblench.info.