State: Borno

Borno State sits in Nigeria’s far northeast, with Maiduguri as its capital, a city that has served as a trading hub since it was founded in 1907. Borno became a state on 3 February 1976.

Borno borders Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south, and it touches three countries along its other edges: Cameroon to the east, Niger to the north, and Chad to the northeast, more international neighbors than any other Nigerian state.

The Kanuri people form the majority here, descendants of the centuries-old Kanem-Bornu Empire, once one of the most powerful states in the central Sudan region. Shuwa Arabs, Mafa, and Marghi communities live across the state as well.

Farming and livestock once anchored the local economy, with Maiduguri acting as a major trade center for the wider region. The Boko Haram insurgency hit the state hard from the late 2000s onward, but recovery efforts and renewed investment have picked up since 2016.

Lake Chad, shrinking but still significant, sits at Borno’s northeastern corner, and the Chad Basin National Park nearby is home to hyenas, cranes, and other wildlife adapted to the semi-arid landscape. Sambisa Forest lies to the south of Maiduguri.

Vice President Kashim Shettima served as Borno’s governor before taking national office, and Governor Babagana Zulum has led rebuilding efforts across the state since 2019.