State: Nasarawa

Nasarawa State lies in Nigeria’s middle belt, with Lafia as its capital. It was created on 1 October 1996, separated from Plateau State.

The state borders Taraba and Plateau to the east, Kaduna to the north, Benue and Kogi to the south, and FCT Abuja to the west.

Around 25 ethnic groups live in Nasarawa, among them the Alago, Tiv, Mada, Gwandara, Hausa, Fulani, Gbagyi, Eggon, and Idoma peoples, each concentrated in different parts of the state.

Farming anchors the local economy, with sesame, soybeans, groundnuts, millet, maize, and yams grown widely, alongside cattle, goat, and sheep herding. Salt, baryte, and bauxite mining add a smaller industrial layer in a few areas.

Farin Ruwa Falls near Wamba ranks among the highest waterfalls in Africa, and the Salt Village in Keana still produces naturally iodized salt using methods passed down for generations. The Eggon hills near Nasarawa Eggon offer some of the more dramatic scenery in the state.

Abdullahi Adamu, a former national party chairman, comes from Nasarawa, along with former governors Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and Aliyu Doma, and current Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.