Maiduguri

Maiduguri
Yerwa
Maiduguri

Location in Nigeria

Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E / 11.833°N 13.150°E / 11.833; 13.150
Country Nigeria
State Borno State
Population (2007)
 • Total 2,197,497
  estimate

Maiduguri, also called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad.[1] Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly with a population exceeding a million by 2007.

History

The region was home to the Kanem-Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri actually consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduwuri to the east. Old Maiduguri was selected by the British as their military headquarters while Yerwa was selected at approximately the same time by Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno to replace Kukawa as the new traditional capital of the Kanuri people.[1]

Maiduguri is one of the sixteen LGAs that constitute the Borno Emirate, a traditional state located in Borno State, Nigeria.[2]

Climate

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

The highest record temperature was 47 °C (117 °F) on 28 May 1983, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F) on 26 December 1979.[3]

Climate data for Maiduguri
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40
(104)		 42
(108)		 44
(111)		 46
(115)		 47
(117)		 42
(108)		 43
(109)		 36
(97)		 38
(100)		 39
(102)		 39
(102)		 38
(100)		 47
(117)
Average high °C (°F) 31.9
(89.4)		 34.6
(94.3)		 37.8
(100)		 40.1
(104.2)		 39.4
(102.9)		 36.4
(97.5)		 33.2
(91.8)		 32
(90)		 33.7
(92.7)		 36.4
(97.5)		 34.2
(93.6)		 32.3
(90.1)		 35.17
(95.31)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.8
(71.2)		 24.8
(76.6)		 29.3
(84.7)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.5
(90.5)		 30.2
(86.4)		 27.5
(81.5)		 26.6
(79.9)		 27.2
(81)		 27.9
(82.2)		 24.9
(76.8)		 23.2
(73.8)		 27.37
(81.27)
Average low °C (°F) 12.6
(54.7)		 15.3
(59.5)		 19.7
(67.5)		 21.9
(71.4)		 25.5
(77.9)		 24.5
(76.1)		 22.9
(73.2)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 20.7
(69.3)		 16
(61)		 13.1
(55.6)		 19.91
(67.84)
Record low °C (°F) 8
(46)		 10
(50)		 15
(59)		 12
(54)		 18
(64)		 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 15
(59)		 10
(50)		 5
(41)		 5
(41)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.3
(0.012)		 13
(0.51)		 30.5
(1.201)		 73.8
(2.906)		 147.1
(5.791)		 193.2
(7.606)		 83
(3.27)		 11.1
(0.437)		 0
(0)		 0.1
(0.004)		 552.1
(21.737)
Source #1: Climate Charts (latitude: 11°51'N; longitude: 013°05'E; elevation: 354m, 1161'),[4] Climate-Data.org (altitude: 404m)[5]
Source #2: Voodoo Skies for record temperatures[3]

Demographics

Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 1,907,600, as of 2007.[6] 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.

Economy

Maiduguri is home to three markets which include an ultra modern "Monday market" that has a spectacular satellite image view.[7] There is an ancient museum, and the city is served by the Maiduguri International Airport.

The city has one of the best layouts in Nigeria. 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.

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. The city lies at the end of a railway line connecting Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri.[8]

Education

Maiduguri has one of the best-equipped universities and hospitals in Nigeria: The University of Maiduguri attracts foreign students from neighbouring countries especially Cameroon and Niger Republic. The College of Medical Sciences is amongst the top five best medical schools in Nigeria. Other higher institutions include Ramat Polytechnic, College of Agriculture and College of Education, and El-kanemi College of Islamic Theology.

As of 2011, the Future Prowess Islamic School provided a free, co-ed Western and Islamic education to orphans and vulnerable children.[9]

Sports and leisure

It 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.

Inter-religious violence

Since the mid-1960s, Maiduguri has witnessed outbreaks of large inter-religious riots. Members of religious sects led intercomunal violence in 1982 and 2001.[10][11] On 18 February 2006, riots related to the Muhammad cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten left at least 15 people dead, and resulted in the destruction of approximately 12 churches. Soldiers and police quelled the riots, and the government temporarily imposed a curfew.[12][13]

Maiduguri was also the scene of major religious violence throughout Northeast Nigeria committed by an Islamist group, Boko Haram, in July 2009, leaving over 700 people dead.

Boko Haram attacks

On May 14, 2013, former President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Northeast Nigeria, including Borno State, due to the rebel activity of Boko Haram.[14] The entire city was under overnight curfew, and trucks have been prevented from entering the city. Twelve areas of the city that are known to be strongholds of Boko Haram are under permanent curfew.[15] On 18 June 2013, Boko Haram militants attacked a school as students were taking an exam; nine students were killed.[16]

On January 10, 2015, a bomb attack was executed at the Monday Market in Maiduguri, killing 19 people. The city is considered to be at the heart of the Boko Haram insurgency.[17] In the early hours of 25 January, Boko Haram launched a major assault on the city.[18] On January 26, CNN reported that the attack on Maiduguri by "hundreds of gunmen" had been repelled, but the nearby town of Monguno was captured by Boko Haram.[19] The Nigerian Army claimed to have successfully repelled another attack on Maiduguri on January 31, 2015.[20] On February 17, 2015, Monguno subsequently fell to the Nigerian military in a coordinated air and ground assault. [21] On 7 March 2015, five suicide bomb blasts left 54 dead and 143 wounded.[22] On May 30, 2015, Boko Haram launched another attack on the city, killing thirteen people.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  2. ↑ Nigeria (2000). Nigeria: a people united, a future assured. 2, State Surveys (Millennium ed.). Abuja, Nigeria: Federal Ministry of Information. p. 106. ISBN 9780104089.
  3. 1 2 "Maiduguri, Nigeria". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Maiduguri, Nigeria Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data". Climate Charts. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Climate: Maiduguri – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "The World Gazetteer". Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  7. ↑ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "NigeriaFirst.org: Revamping the Nigerian Railway". Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  9. ↑ Collyer, Rosie (22 November 2011). "Slideshow: Nigerian School Defies Boko Haram". Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Phillips, Barnaby (10 January 2001). "Eclipse Triggers Nigeria Riot". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Around the World: Nigerian Toll Put at 452 in Religious Riots". The New York Times. 1 November 1982. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Al Jazeera: Fifteen killed in Nigerian cartoon riots". Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  13. ↑ "ReliefWeb: Nigeria's northeast state imposes curfew after religious crisis". Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  14. ↑ "Nigeria: State of Emergency Declared". New York Times. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Nigeria army's offensive to continue 'as long as it takes'". BBC News. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "Nigeria militants kill school children in Maiduguri". BBC News. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  17. ↑ Nossiter, Adam (10 January 2015). "In Nigeria, New Boko Haram Suicide Bomber Tactic: "It's a Little Girl"". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  18. ↑ Mark, Monica (25 January 2015). "Nigerian City Under Attack from Suspected Boko Haram Militants". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  19. ↑ Faith Karimi and Aminu Abubakar, (2015-01-26). "Nigerian soldiers save one city from Boko Haram but a nearby one is seized". CNN.com. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  20. ↑ "Nigeria army 'repels' new Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri". BBC News. 2015-02-01. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  21. ↑ "African allies claim gains against Boko Haram". BBC News. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  22. ↑ "5 suicide bomb blasts rock Maiduguri city in northeast Nigeria, 54 dead, 143 wounded: official". AP. 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  23. ↑ Abubakar, Aminu (30 May 2015). "Boko Haram launches deadly attack on north-eastern Nigerian city". CNN. Retrieved 30 May 2015.

Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E / 11.833°N 13.150°E / 11.833; 13.150

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