The Land

The Land
The coastline of Nigeria is 800 km long, bounded to its immediate north

by coastal sand beaches, made up of open, white, sandy surfaces for an
average width of between three to five km. This coastal stretch is cut
into western and eastern portions by the delta of the River Niger,
which is 150 km wide, stretching inland to over 50 km. The delta is
dissected by a network of river distributaries.
Behind these sandy beaches is a belt of mangrove swamps which, in some
places, is about 100 km wide. Beyond this belt is a zone of tropical
forests. Further inland, the land rises to an undulating plateau and
series of hills of general elevation. Breaking these east to west hills
are
the Niger and Benue troughs. The elevation around the Jos Plateau is
about 2 km, resulting in low temperatures, similar to the temperature
climate in Europe and parts of North America. The vegetation on the
northern plateau is typically grassland in nature, allowing for a broad
view
of extensive landscapes.