History of CultureThe earliest known human remains in the Nigerian region have been dated within the Late Stone Age (around 10,000 BC and 2,000 BC); they were called the Iron Age Nok people. Over time, many different groups of people have migrated and immigrated from this land. The first societies that settled in this area were decentralized and concentrated on small villages or groups of villages. However, by the end of the first millennium AD, through social interactions and trade with neighboring groups, societies began to develop more centralized state structures based on kingship. In the 11th century, powerful empires were built in the northern and southern regions of Nigeria. . Although the Nigerian region had built powerful kingdoms, it was unable to protect itself from British colonization in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Empires had fallen, villages had separated and Europeans were beginning to change the lives of natives. They had negotiated new borders within the country and their country was given a new name. According to the book Nigeria: A Bradt Travel Guide (2005), the British colonial officer's wife had put the words "Niger" together. meaning black and “area” together, creating Nigeria. Despite British colonization, the Nigerian people today still have many different languages, cultures and traditions with roots stretching back to their ancestors. Uniqueness of Culture According to the book A History of Nigeria (2008), Nigeria is historically unique for three different reasons. First, it was found that there had been a high level of migration from the northern part of Nigeria to the southern part due to the savannah. Second, the human beings within the regime… at the center of the paper… believed it was the same country. However, through a lot of research, I became fascinated with Nigerian culture. The fact that the people who first resided in the country had started using stone tools before other ancient countries fascinated me. Another thing is, I didn't know Nigeria was such a big part of Africa. Not only is it the economic giant of Africa, but it is also larger than our largest state, Texas. Despite this country's growing economy, it still saddens me to see how large the social class differences are. People are either extremely rich or extremely poor, and not all of them have enough food to survive. I was also surprised by the percentage of Muslims and Christians there were in this country. I thought it was only made up of polytheistic religions, but it actually contains a high percentage of Muslims and Christians.