NIGERIAN LESSON PLANS

 

NIGERIA- WHAT IS A REGION?

by George Kuhter

 

INQUIRY QUESTION

The world is broken into regions based on physical and human characteristics. How are countries such as diverse as Nigeria broken into regions?

 

OBJECTIVES

1. The student will be able to recognize the characteristic of regions.
2. The student will be able to recognize how regions help create a sense of place.

In the following lesson, the question of region is simplified by looking at and splitting Nigeria into 3 main regions by using its human and physical characteristics. In this way, students will be able to recognize the specific patterns that define Nigeria’s regions. This lesson is designed to introduce the idea of region. Students may work in small groups or individually.

 

STANDARDS

The World in Spatial Terms Standard 1,2.3
Places and Regions Standard 4,5,6
Physical Systems Standard 7
Human System Standard 9,10,12 13
Environment and Society Standard 16
The Uses of Geography Standard 17,18

 

THEMES

Place
Region

 

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Logical-Mathematical
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Visual-Spatial

 

MATERIALS

Various teacher-made material
overhead
colored pencils

 

ACTIVITY - One class period

Introduction

The physical or human characteristics of a place and how these characteristics are connected within that place define a region.

Physical characteristics are those that can define or describe the physical landscape.

Human characteristics are those that define the people who live in a certain area.

In order to simplify the definition of region in Nigeria, it would be easy to look at how places or areas are connected using their physical and human characteristics.

To complete the lesson, use the following procedures

  1. Review or introduce the idea of region. The most important idea to stress is that a region is a place or places that have similar physical or human characteristics. Students can be assigned to read the background material on Nigeria or teachers may direct the background information themselves.
  2. Choose the categories to color the maps. Using the chloropleth idea maps should be colored form lightest to darkest to distinguish a pattern. A note here is that we are using a 1987 map of Nigeria because of the changing nature of the country this is the most current as far as ethnic mapping is concerned.

    3. a. Color the map according to the categories:

    Map #1 Map #2*
    5 ethnic groups in a state Grain crops
    5 -2 0 Mixed Crops (tree and Grain)
    21-35 Root
    35+  

    *For Map two to see the pattern it is not necessary to color from lightest to darkest.

  3. Once students have finished the maps, the students can use the following questions for discussion or review.

    a. What pattern is seen on each of these maps that would justify the idea of classifying them into regions?

    b. How would these maps be similar or different if they were split into different categories. (Languages, religion, foreign contact)

    c. Think of the way other countries are split into regions. How is this similar or different to the regions of Nigeria?

    d. How do these maps fit the working definition of region? Can we draw any conclusions from this definition or are there factors that are going to be different for all regions?

 

 

 

 

WHAT MAKES A REGION?

The physical or human characteristics of a place and how these characteristics are connected within that place define a region. Physical characteristics are those that can define or describe the physical landscape Human characteristics are those that define the people who live in a certain area. In order to simplify the definition of region in Nigeria, it would be easy to look at how places or areas are connected using their physical and human characteristics.

Nigeria is split into 3 main regions, which can be defined by their human and physical characteristics. The North, which ~s dominated by the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups, is a major Muslim area. In the north, the people rely on the staple crop of grain type agricultural plants. Grain crops are classified by their plant and include maize, millet and other long, tall plant crops. In the Middle Belt there is no dominant ethnic group. The Middle Belt is often referred to by the nickname, "the mirror of Nigeria" because of the mix of people that reside there. The language that is dominant is that of the Hausa, as it is in the North. The people, because of their background, tend to grow a mix of crops in their fields. They grow a mix of grains like their northern neighbors, but because of their mix of ethnic groups they also grow what are called root crops. Those crops that grow under the ground like yams, cassava, and groundnuts. In the south, it is said that there are two more region of Nigeria because of the languages spoken there. The Southwest is dominated by the Yoruba language and the lgbo language is in the southeast. Although their is the feeling that this area is two more regions of the country, it is not. In the South, people grow mainly root and tree crops. The root crops dominate the landscape, but it is the tree crops for which the people of southern Nigeria depend heavily.

NIGERIA REGIONS
State Total # of Ethnic Groups Main Crop Types
     
AKWA IBOM 7 ROOT
ANAMBRA 2 ROOT
BAUCHI 65 GRAIN, ROOT
BEN DEL 14 ROOT
BENUE 13 ROOT
BORNO 29 GRAIN
CROSS RIVER 29 ROOT
GON GO LA 113 GRAIN, ROOT
IMO 1 ROOT
KADUNA 32 GRAIN
KANO 9 GRAIN
KATSINA 2 GRAIN
KWARA 22 GRAIN, ROOT
LAGOS 3 ROOT
NIGER 20 GRAIN, ROOT
OGUN 1 ROOT
ONDO 3 ROOT
OYO 1 ROOT
PLATEAU 73 GRAIN, ROOT
RIVERS 11 ROOT
SOKOTO 13 GRAIN
 

** As of 1999, Nigeria has 36 states.