Maiduguri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maiduguri Yerwa
The Indimi Mosque situated in Maiduguri
Maiduguri Location in Nigeria
Country	Nigeria
State	Borno
Area
• Total	105.5 km2 (40.7 sq mi)
Elevation	320 m (1,050 ft)
Population  (2022 projection)
• Total	791,200
• Density	7,500/km2 (19,424/sq mi)
GDP (PPP, 2015 int. Dollar)
• Year	2023
• Total	$6 billion
• Per capita	$7,100
Climate	BSh

Maiduguri (/maɪˈduːɡʊri/ MY-doo-GUURR-ee) is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British Empire during the colonial period. As of 2022, Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of approximately two million people, in the metropolitan area.

History

Early period

Statue of Rabih az-Zubayr at Maiduguri National Museum

The region was home to the Kanem–Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri actually consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduguri to the east. Yerwa was founded in 1907 by Abubakar Garbai of Borno as the capital of the Bornu Kingdom. The location had before that been a small village known as Kalwa. This involved the transfer of the capital of the Kanuri people from Kukawa.

Old Maiduguri was selected by the British as their military headquarters in 1908, replacing Mafoni. The same year it became the location for the British Resident Commissioner over British Bornu. In 1957, Yerwa became the designated name for the urban centre while 'Maiduguri' was officially applied as the name of the surrounding rural area. In 1964 the railway was extended here which led to its rise as a major commercial center in the region.

The city was once known as a "hub of Islamic scholarship in West Africa that ... [taught] tolerance and hospitality like its welcoming neem trees."

Maiduguri is one of the fifteen Local Government Areas (LGAs) that constitute the Borno Emirate, a traditional state located in Borno State, Nigeria.

One of the roundabout in Maiduguri

Climate

A boy navigating the nearby Ngadda River in a traditional canoe design.

Köppen–Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (BSh).

The highest record temperature was 47 °C (116.6 °F) on 28 May 1983, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F) on 26 December 1979.

Tree planting was a priority of the city's colonial administration, and large trees along major roads give protection from intense sun.

Normal temperature in Maiduguri

The hot season goes on for 2.4 months, from March 13 to May 26, with a typical everyday high temperature above 102 °F or 38.9 °C. The most blazing month of the year in Maiduguri is May, with a typical high of 103 °F or 39.4 °C and low of 79 °F or 26.1 °C.

The cool season goes on for 2.1 months, from July 20 to September 23, with a typical everyday high temperature underneath 92 °F or 33.3 °C. The coldest month of the year in Maiduguri is January, with a typical low of 59 °F or 15 °C and high of 92 °F or 33.3 °C.

Demographics

Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 1,907,600, as of 2007. It grew in size by 15.1 km² (5.8 sq mi) between 2002 and 2012.

Its residents are mostly Muslim including Kanuri, Hausa, Shuwa, Bura, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups. There is also a considerable Christian population and people from Southern states such as the Igbo, Ijaw, and Yoruba.

Maiduguri had 22 internally displaced persons camps in 2019, including Shagari camp with 48 households, and Cherubim & Seraphim camp with 65 households. The NYC (National Youth Service) in Maiduguri housed 4,800 displaced people in 2016. Goni Kachallari had 340 families in 2016.

Languages spoken in the camps include Fulani, Fulfulde, Gamargu, Hausa (8.4% native speakers), Kanuri (53.5% native speakers), Shuwa Arabic, and Marghi (15.6%). About a third of survey respondents had comprehension of a simple English audio sample; close to 100% had comprehension of audio messaging in either Hausa or Kanuri.

Air pollution

As a result of chemical reactions involving moving vehicles and the release of gases that can cause inhalation into the deepest parts of the lung, Maiduguri is currently experiencing particulate dust, a harmful air pollutant.

Transport

Old Rail Carriages at the Maiduguri rail station. The station is the end of line for connecting Maiduguri with other major cities.

Terminus in Maiduguri

The city lies at the end of a railway line connecting Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri.

The city is served by the Maiduguri International Airport.

Economy

Baga Road Market Maiduguri

Maiduguri is the principal trading hub for north-eastern Nigeria. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing.

Maiduguri is home to three markets which include a modern "Monday market". that has a spectacular image view.

The city gate to the city of Maiduguri, with location transportation and larger personal vehicles. Maiduguri is a regional trading hub with traffic and goods flowing in and out of the city from all directions, as communities bring goods to trade.

The city has an appealing layout, with wide, well-maintained streets, sidewalks and flood management ditches. Electricity is provided by grid connections, solar power and by generators. The values of land and properties are high. A 2009 survey of property markets in Nigeria positioned Maiduguri as the third most expensive for buying and renting in after Abuja and Lagos.

A journalist who described local commerce wrote that "on the edge of the city, never-ending lines of lorries spend days waiting to take their cargoes to Dikwa and beyond to neighbouring Cameroon."

"Transport of goods to land-locked countries such as Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan" has suffered due to road ambushes.

Rural-urban migration to Maiduguri, combined with migration from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has led to increases in poverty and unemployment

Firewood gathering is a source of income for newer residents who have been displaced by violence, and the harvest shortfalls resulting from climate change. Members of Maiduguri's official Association of Firewood Sellers provide labor for tree replanting efforts.

An additional source of support for displaced persons is a mobile phone-based cash distribution site which was set up by the World Food Programme and the Nigerian Government.

Education

Main Gate of Ramat Polytechnic.

The University of Maiduguri was founded in 1975. There is also the College of Medical Sciences. Other higher institutions include the Borno State University, Ramat Polytechnic, College of Agriculture and College of Education, Muhammad Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies, College of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Technology and El-kanemi College of Islamic Theology, Annahada College of Science and Islamic Studies.

University of Maiduguri main gate, Borno state

As of 2011, the Future Prowess Islamic School provided a free, co-ed Western and Islamic education to orphans and vulnerable children.

Places of worship

Central Mosque of Maiduguri

Indumi jummu'at mosque Maiduguri Borno state

St. Patrick's Catholic Church Maiduguri.

Places of worship are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples: Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (World Communion of Reformed Churches), Nigerian Baptist Convention (Baptist World Alliance), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God, Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri.

Sports and leisure

Maiduguri is home to the El-Kanemi Warriors, a football team and the city has an active local football league. The Kyarimi Park is the oldest and largest zoo in Nigeria. The zoo attracts thousands of visitors per year. The city is within a short driving distance to picnic areas in Alo Lake and Zambiza game reserve.

See also

In Spanish: Maiduguri para niños