Nasarawa State

Nasarawa
State
Flag of Nasarawa State
Flag		Seal of Nasarawa State
Seal
Nickname(s): Home of Solid Minerals

Location of Nasarawa State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 8°32′N 8°18′E / 8.533°N 8.300°E / 8.533; 8.300Coordinates: 8°32′N 8°18′E / 8.533°N 8.300°E / 8.533; 8.300
Country  Nigeria
Date created 1 October 1996
Capital Lafia
Government
 • Governor[1] Umaru Tanko Al-Makura
 • Deputy Governor Silas Ali Agara
 • Representatives List
Area
 • Total 27,117 km2 (10,470 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 • Total 1,869,377[2]
GDP (PPP)
 • Year 2007
 • Total $3.02 billion[3]
 • Per capita $1,588[3]
Time zone UTC+01 (WAT)
ISO 3166 code NG-NA
Website www.nasarawastate.gov.ng

Nasarawa is a state in north central Nigeria. Its capital is Lafia.

History

Nasarawa was created on 1 October 1996 by the Abacha government from the (today neighboring) Plateau State.[4]

Geography

Nasarawa State is bounded in the north by Kaduna State, in the west by the Abuja Federal Capital Territory, in the south by Kogi and Benue States and in the east by Taraba and Plateau States.

A network of roads exist within the state, linking all rural areas and major towns. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) operates train services from Kuru, Gombe and Maiduguri.

Local Government Areas

The State has three National Senatorial Districts (South, North and West).

Nasarawa State consists of thirteen (13) Local Government Areas (shown with 2006 population figures[5]):

Nasarawa West Senatorial District716,802Nasarawa North Senatorial District335,453Nasarawa South Senatorial District811,020
Karu205,477Akwanga113,430Awe112,574
Keffi92,664Nasarawa Egon149,129Doma139,607
Kokona109,749Wamba72,894Keana79,253
Nasarawa189,835Lafia330,712
Toto119,077Obi148,874

List of current Local Government Area Chairmen.[6]

Economy

Concrete block factory in Nasarawa State.

Nasarawa State has agriculture as the mainstay of its economy with the production of varieties of cash crops throughout the year. It also contains various minerals such as salt, baryte, and bauxite, which are mostly mined by artisanal miners.

Education

The state has a College of Education in Akwanga, Fedral polytechnic Nasarawa, College of Agriculture in Lafia, Nasarawa State Polytechnic in Lafia, Nasarawa State University in Keffi, a newly established Federal University of Lafia, and other vocational training schools.

Tourism

Nasarawa State is home to the Farin Ruwa Falls in Wamba Local Government area of the state. Farin Ruwa falls is reputed to be one of the highest falls in Africa.[7]

There is also the Salt Village in Keana Local Government Area of the State. It produces naturally iodized salt from the lake located near it.The town is also one of the cradles of Alago civilization, one of the major ethnic groups in the state.

References

  1. ↑ See List of Governors of Nasarawa State for a list of prior governors
  2. ↑ "2006 PHC Priority Tables – NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION". population.gov.ng. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  3. 1 2 "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  4. ↑ Brief Data
  5. ↑ 2006 Population Census, Federal Republic of Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 2009-03-25.
  6. ↑ http://www.nasarawastatenigeria.com/blog/2014/03/24/list-of-newly-elected-chairmen-of-local-government-councils-in-nasarawa-state/
  7. ↑ Dreaming of Farin Ruwa | GlobalPost
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.