State: Kaduna

Kaduna State sits in Nigeria’s north west, with Kaduna city as its capital. It traces back to 1967 as North Central State, though it took its present shape in 1987 when Katsina State split off from it.

Kaduna borders more neighbors than most Nigerian states: Zamfara and Katsina to the north, Kano to the northeast, Bauchi and Plateau to the east, Nasarawa and FCT Abuja to the south, and Niger State to the west.

Around sixty ethnic groups call Kaduna home. Hausa and Fulani communities are the largest, alongside dozens of others including the Gbagyi, Atyap, and Bajju peoples.

Cotton and groundnut farming have long anchored the state’s economy, and Kaduna has historically ranked among Nigeria’s larger economies, built up in part from its years as a colonial and regional administrative center.

Zaria’s old city walls, built over centuries and stretching up to 16 kilometers, still ring parts of the ancient city, and the Nok archaeological sites nearby produced the terracotta figures that gave the Nok culture, one of West Africa’s earliest known civilizations, its name. Kajuru Castle, a more recent addition, has become a popular spot for tourists and film shoots alike.

Namadi Sambo, a former vice president of Nigeria, comes from Kaduna, along with former governor Nasir el-Rufai and current governor Uba Sani.