Kano State

Kano State
State
Flag
Nickname(s): Centre of Commerce
Location of Kano State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 11°30′N 8°30′E / 11.500°N 8.500°E / 11.500; 8.500Coordinates: 11°30′N 8°30′E / 11.500°N 8.500°E / 11.500; 8.500
Country	Nigeria
Date created	May 27, 1967
Capital	Kano
Government
• Governor[1]	Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
• Senators	Dr Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso Hon Barau I Jibrin Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya
• Representatives	List
Area
• Total	20,131 km2 (7,773 sq mi)
Area rank	20th of 36
Population (2006 census)[2]
• Total	9,383,682
• Estimate (2011)	11,058,300[3]
• Rank	1st of 36
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
• Year	2007
• Total	$12.39 billion[4]
• Per capita	$1,288[4]
Time zone	WAT (UTC+01)
ISO 3166 code	NG-KN
Website	kano.gov.ng
^1 Preliminary results

Kano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria.^[5] Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west. The capital of Kano State is Kano.

The state originally included Jigawa State which was made a separate state in 1991.

Economy and society

Agriculture

Subsistence and commercial agriculture is mostly practiced in the outlying districts of the state. Some of the food crops cultivated are millet, cowpeas, sorghum, maize and rice for local consumption while groundnuts and cotton are produced for export and industrial purposes. During the colonial period and several years after the country’s independence, the groundnuts produced in the state constituted one of the major sources revenue of the country. Kano State is a major producer of hides and skins, sesame, soybean, cotton, garlic, gum arabic and chili pepper.

Commerce

Commercial activities in Kano first developed with the establishment of the Kurmi market by the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Rumfa in the 16th Century CE. Subsequent leaders made contributions to the emergence of Kano as a leading commercial center in Sudanic Africa. During the Caliphate period in the 19th century the Emirs Ibrahim Dado and Sulaimanu encouraged traders to move from Katsina, capitalising on raids from the Hausa Sultanate of Maradi. The Jihad leaders of the Caliphate encouraged Kola nut trade and Kano was the greatest beneficiary with an annual turnover of about $30 million. Craft industries also evolved in the pre-colonial period contributing to the prosperity of the province.

Industry

Kano State is the second largest industrial center in Nigeria and the largest in Northern Nigeria with textile, tanning, footwear, cosmetics, plastics, enamelware, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, furniture and other industries. Others include agricultural implements, soft drinks, food and beverages, dairy products, vegetable oil, animal feeds etc.

Tourism

The tourist attractions in the state include:

• Kurmi Market established in the 15th century,
• Kano's centuries-old city wall,
• Gidan Rumfa (Emir’s Palace, the oldest continuous site of authority in Nigeria)

Local Government Areas

Kano State consists of forty-four (44) Local Government Areas (LGAs). They are:

Languages

The official language of Kano State is Hausa language, but Fulani languages is commonly spoken. ^[6]

Population

According to the 2016 PON census (unofficial) figures from Nigeria Kano State had a population totaling 16,383,682. Officially, Kano State is the most populous state in the country.^[5] The state is mostly populated by Hausa people.^[7]

See also

• States of Nigeria

References

"Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP)". 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2013. 

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Kano.

• National Bureau of Statistics Maps of Kano State

States of Nigeria
Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Abia Adamawa Akwa Ibom Anambra Bauchi Bayelsa Benue Borno Cross River Delta Ebonyi Edo Ekiti Enugu Gombe Imo Jigawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kebbi Kogi Kwara Lagos Nasarawa Niger Ogun Ondo Osun Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Taraba Yobe Zamfara