North East
Borno State
Capital: Maiduguri · Created 1976 · ≈6.9 million · Area 70,898 km²
Population
≈6.9 million
Size
70,898 km²
Capital
Maiduguri
Year created
1976
Geopolitical zone
North East
Languages
Kanuri · Hausa · Shuwa Arabic · English
Ethnic groups
- Kanuri (majority)
- Shuwa Arab
- Babur-Bura
- Marghi
- Chibok
Natural resources
- Uranium
- Gypsum
- Kaolin
- Limestone
- Diatomite
Signature foods
- Tuwo shinkafa
- Fura da nono
- Dambun nama
- Wainar shinkafa (rice pancakes)
- Ngudema
Notable people
- Sir Kashim Ibrahim (first Northern indigene governor)
- Ali Modu Sheriff (former governor)
- Kashim Shettima (VP of Nigeria)
- Late Shehu of Borno Umar Garbai
Culture, values & festivals
- Kanem-Bornu Empire heritage (1000+ years)
- Durbar festival
- Traditional Kanuri hospitality
- Islamic scholarship — one of West Africa's oldest Muslim regions
Top places to visit in Borno
- 1
Kyarimi Park, Maiduguri
Zoo and botanical garden in the state capital.
- 2
Sanda Kyarimi Museum
Kanem-Bornu Empire artefacts and history.
- 3
Alau Dam
Reservoir and picnic spot on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
- 4
Lake Chad shoreline
Where Nigeria meets Cameroon, Chad, and Niger (currently shrinking dramatically).
About the North East
Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe. Lake Chad basin, Mambilla plateau, diverse ethnic mosaic.