Nigeria

If July was bad for getting countries done, August was sort of disastrous. I think we've done four in total, with two dinners left this month. Between Calib being in Ohio, my birthday, then a week long trip to Ohio, and lots of going into the office for Asa, and there just wasn't a lot of dinners left. So, we're hoping to get back on track at least a little in September. But, it's whatever it is. I'm trying not to freak out about staying on my personal-made schedule. 

The countries we did do, we're mostly African, because as we know, they have the most. We did Nigeria way back a couple weeks ago, but I've been just as terrible about getting the country blogs done as I have been about doing the countries themselves. But today, Asa, Calib and Peyton are off to help a friend move, so it's just me and Hayden. Seems like a good time to catch up.  

Nigeria is located right on the curved area of Africa on the Atlantic side (technically it's off of the Gulf of Guinea, but who's counting?) It's the most populous country in Africa, and the 7th most populous country in the entire world. With more than 170 million people, it's estimated that one out of every 5 Africans is a Nigerian. The population is split between the Muslim north and the Christian south. 

With over 250 different ethnic groups, Nigeria is a melting pot of African cultures. The official language of Nigeria is English, but only upper and middle class people in the largest cities speak it. The majority of people speak Nigerian pidgin, but in addition, many of those ethnic groups have their own language and customs. The largest ethnic group is the Yoruba. With a population of about 35 million, they are known for their colorful dress (called oke), and their wooden masks they wear between March and May for masquerade festivals. 

All those people mean a great opportunity to set some weird world records, like the most people brushing their teeth at the same time (thanks to the Nigerian school system who, in 2013, had 300,000 students brush their teeth at the exact same time.) 

You also need something for all those people to do.  Nigeria has the third largest movie industry in the world. But, they spend their time making movies, not watching them. Every year, over 2,000 movies are made. Unfortunately, there's only about 100 movie theaters in which to watch those movies.

Our landmark for Nigeria is the Walls of Benin and the Benin Moat. Located on the Nigerian boarder to (you guessed it), Benin, this combination of moats and ramparts (walls with walkways), is considered to be one of the greatest achievements by man in the 13th century. It's one of those 'how did they do that without any equipment' things. The Benin moat is the largest earthwork in the world. It's estimated to be 10,000 miles in length and covers about 2,000 square miles in area. The Guinness Book of World Records has designated it as the second largest man made structure, just after The Great Wall of China. 

If you like fishing, Nigeria during the Argungu Fishing Festival, is the place to be. Since 1934, Nigerians have come from all over the country to take part. If you catch the biggest fish, you will be rewarded with one million naira! (Don't get too excited, that's only about $5,500 US dollars). 

All those people, in just over 350,000 square miles, and you'd think there wouldn't be much space for anything else. But the National Parks are home to buffaloes, chimps, elephants and around one million birds. 

But Nigeria is not without it's troubles. They are known for squandering their oil wealth, and the terrorist organization Boko Haram that is based in Northeast Nigeria. Remember the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls that even Michelle Obama  tweeted out? (In case you forgot, it was trending back in 2014 nearly 300 female students were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School in Nigeria. At the time it was the most tweeted hashtag). 

The situation hasn't improved over there, despite what the Nigerian government might tell you. There is still a US Travel Warning, informing US citizens of the risks of  traveling to Nigeria (and going so far as to advise to avoid 'all but essential travel' to certain areas in the north). Kidnapping, robberies, and armed attacks in Nigeria at the hands of Boko Haram have killed or wounded thousands of people in the last five years. 

The boys made their Nigerian post cards. 

Calib's featured the birds in the National Park, along with lots of kids brushing their teeth. 

Peyton's featured someone shooting a movie, as well as the piracy that occurs in the Gulf of Guinea. 

Hayden's featured the biggest city in Nigeria, Lagos. Over 8 million people call Lagos home. (The capital, Abuja, is the 8th largest city). 

For dinner we had Nigerian Salad.  Heads up on this one, that Heinz Salad Cream is fricken expensive. I have seen it a few times in recipes, and always bypassed it, because it's like $7 a bottle. But, I finally decided to get it, because I figured for that price it had to be delicious. But, eh, not so much. 

In adddition to the salad, we had pineapple, okra, and Spicy North African Pork Tenderloin. 

We also had Mango and Banana Sundaes for dessert. 

We had this dinner litterally weeks ago, and with me just now getting to the blog, I don't remember exactly how many spoons up it got. 

But, I do remember this one was just ok. Nobody is going to be clamoring to have it again, but everyone ate it just fine. We weren't huge fans of the salad, and we did cook the pork in the slow cooker, which made it fall apart delicious. 

I do remember everyone enjoyed the sundaes though. 

We colored Nigeria in blue, right next to purple Cameroon and green Benin. It also boarders a teeny tiny bit of the light orangish/pinkish Chad. The coast along the Gulf of Guinea is really filling in! 

112 down, 81 to go! 

Next Up: Gambia