The north East region of Nigeria contains a total of 6 states. Keep reading to find out the names of all those states, along with a brief history on them and their maps.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The country contains a total of 36 states.
To further group the states in the nation, Late General Sani Abacha created the 6 geopolitical zones we now have.
Pay attention>> See current governors of all the states in Nigeria
Basically, states in the same region have related historical background and similarities in culture. Which means, geographical location is not the only factor for the grouping.
Owing to that fact, we can then say that the states in the north eastern region of Nigeria have similar cultural and historical backgrounds.
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States in North East Nigeria
The six states found in the north eastern geopolitical zone of Nigeria include:
Map of North East Nigeria
North east Nigeria
Facts and other things you should know
History
Did you know that the north eastern region covers nearly one-third of the entire landmass of Nigeria? The region boasts 5 out of the top 10 largest states in our nation.
Nigeria is the 32nd largest country in the world, with a landmass of 923,763 km². Out of this enormous land area, the north eastern states have a total of 272,395 km².
Shortly after Nigeria’s independence, between 1966 and 1976, the entire north eastern region was a state. Making up the 12 states in Nigeria as at then.
However, the administration of Murtala Mohammed led to the creation of 19 states, which saw the north east state split into Bauchi, Gongola and Borno. Over the course of time, those three states were subsequently split into the six we now have.
Ethnic groups
The major indigenous settlers of the north eastern region of Nigeria are Fulani, Kanuri, Mumuyeng, Kuteb, Gurnam, among several others.
Those settlers spread across the different states in the region. For instance, the kanuris can be found in Yobe, Borno and Taraba state while the fulanis spread across almost the entire state.
Wars and insurgency
North eastern Nigeria is popular for the infamous activities of Boko Haram, one of the vilest militant organizations in West Africa.
The Isis-Affiliated jihadists have seen to the death of thousands of innocent civilians.
In addition, women of various age groups have been kidnapped, while several others have been made to flee their ancestral homes.
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