[ACCURATE] Size of Nigeria compared to California

California

California is a state located in the Western region of the United States of America. Geographically, the state of California shares borders with the state of Oregon to the North, and the east, Nevada, and Arizona. California has a total land area of about 423,970 km2, making it the 3rd largest state in the United States by land area, and the most populous state with a population of about 39.5 million residents. If California were to be a country, it will be the 34 most populous in the world.

San frascisco is a highly populated city of  california (taller bars means higher population)

California is one of the most diverse places on earth. You can find all the major tribes of the world in California. Being the host of popular industries such as the Hollywood in Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley, California is the fifth-largest economy on earth with a GDP of about 3.5 trillion USD.

Nigeria

Nigeria which is known officially as the Federal Republic of Nigeria has its political capital in Abuja and economic capital in Lagos. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and has also been ranked as the most populous black nation on earth with an estimated population of over 206 million people.

population distribution of Nigeria (States of Lagos and Kano have higher population from height of bars

By land size, Nigeria is the 32nd largest country on Earth with a total land area of 923,769 km2 or 356,669sq mi. With this figure, Nigeria is estimated to have an estimated population density of about 218 persons per km2 (218/km2).

Side by side comparison of California and Nigeria drawn to scale

California (L) and Nigeria (R)

By land area, the state of California has a total of 423,970 km2,  which is far behind Nigeria’s 923,756 km2 total land area. What this implies is that the Federal Republic of Nigeria is at least 2 times larger than the state of California in the United States.

Superimposing of California and Nigeria maps

By land area, Nigeria with a total land area of 923,756 km2 is at least 2 times larger than the state of California which has a total landmass of 423,0567 km2. This implies that we can fit in two Californias into Nigeria. 

Population demographics of Nigeria as compared to California

Per the World Bank’s projection, the population of Nigeria population stands at 206,874,685, which is distributed almost evenly with 51.7 % of the population living in rural areas, and 48.3% of the population living in rural areas.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria has been experiencing unprecedented population growth in the last few years. Also, the population demographics are gradually changing due to increased rural-urban migration. The activities of bandits and Boko Haram have triggered the mobility of the population from the rural areas to the urban centers.

For the state of California, the United States Bureau of Statistics project its population at 39,065,904 as of 2021. 

When compared side by side with Nigeria, it can be concluded that Nigeria is at least 8 times larger than California in terms of Population, also the population boom in California unlike in Nigeria is caused mostly by Immigration from other countries.

Comparing the GDP of both Countries

GDP of Nigeria 

Nigeria has been ranked as the biggest economy in Africa. Although the Covid19 Pandemic has affected all its economic sectors, including Oil which is the economic mainstay, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 0.51% in the first quarter of 2020 according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics 2021 report.

As of 2021, Nigeria has a Nominal GDP of 40.01 Trillion Naira ($432B) and a Real GDP of 16.83 Trillion Naira according to the  Nigerian Bureau of Statistics.

GDP of California 

The State of California boasts of a GDP of about $3.2 trillion as of 2021, making it the largest in the United states of America and the fifth largest economy in the world if it were to be a country. 

Facts about both places

5 Facts about California 

1. California is the home to Silicon Valley – a place known as the world’s center for technology, startups and and venture capitals.
2. California the most populous state in the United States of America with a population of 31 million people. 
3. The California state water supply interconnection is the world’s largest managing 49km3 of water yearly. 
4. The highest elevation in California is Mount Whitney, which is about 14,494 feet above sea level.
5. The lowest point in California is the Death valley, which is 282 fts below sea level. 

3 Facts about Nigeria

1. The repatriated Brazilian and Cuban slaves were referred to as Amaros. Today, these deportees of the great ‘male revolt’ are reffered to as the ‘Agudas’, and live in Lagos state.  
2. From just 16 million in 1911, Nigeria’s population is projected to hit 400 million by 2050, becoming the 4th largest on Earth. 
3. From a population of just about 60,000 people in 1872, Lagos state is presently the third largest city in the world based on population. 

Abbey

Abbey Johnson has a Masters degree as an engineer and has over 3 years of teaching and research experience. He is happiest when on a bike and is also interested in electric energy and computer Science.