Nigeria--Largest Remaining British Colony

Abstract

C HANGING political and economic conditions during the past decade have brought about a revolution in the role and status of the British colonies in Tropical Africa. With the attainment of Dominion status by Indian, Pakistan, and Ceylon, and with the secession of Burma, the hitherto largely neglected African dependencies became, almost overnight, the most important colonial territories remaining in the Empire, territories whose agricultural and mineral exports are playing a vital role in the economy of the sterling area and whose strategic significance has been underlined by recent developments in the Middle East. The old fable of the Ugly Duckling comes inevitably to mind. Outstanding in this new colonial pattern is the territory of Nigeria. Its 372,000 square miles represent one quarter of the area of British Tropical Africa, its population of 25 million almost one-half of the population. Its economic potential is sufficiently indicated by the fact that alone it accounts for one-half of the world's palm oil exports, two-fifths of the groundnuts (peanuts), one-sixth of the cacao, and one-eight of the tin. It is the aim of this paper to sketch in broad outline the essential features in the human and economic geography of this largest remaining colonial dependency of Britain. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS'