Abuja, the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria, it hosts key national institutions, landmarks, and buildings spread across its many districts. Abuja is Nigeria's administrative and political capital.
Abuja Cityscape
Geographic Location and Features
Satellite view shows Abuja, the national capital of Nigeria. The city is located almost in the center of the country, north of the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers. Abuja's geography is defined by Aso Rock, a 400 metres monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex, National Assembly, Supreme Court, and much of the city extend to the south of the rock.
Just north of the city is Zuma Rock, the natural icon of the city, a huge 725 m high monolith, that dominates the landscape.
History and Planning
In light of the ethnic and religious divisions of Nigeria, plans had been devised since Nigeria's independence to have its capital in a place deemed neutral to all major ethnic parties, and also near all the regions of Nigeria. The Federal Military Government of Nigeria promulgated Decree No. 6 on 4 February 1976, which initiated the removal of the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja. The initial work for Abuja's planning and implementation was carried out by the Military Government of General Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo.
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Abuja is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Planning Associates (IPA), a consortium of three American planning and architecture firms made up of Wallace, Roberts, McHarg & Todd (WRMT - a group of architects) as the lead, Archi systems International (a subsidiary of the Howard Hughes Corporation), and Planning Research Corporation. The final report was submitted to the pioneer Executive Secretary of FCDA, Alhaji Abubakar Koko, on 15 February 1979.
IPA was formed by a consortium of three American firms which won the worldwide competitive bidding. The firms were Planning Research Corporation (PRC), Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd, and Archisystems (a division of the Hughes Organisation). More detailed design of the central areas of the capital, particularly its monumental core, was accomplished by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, with his team of city planners at Kenzo Tange and Urtec company.
The move of Nigeria's Capital to Abuja was controversial, and the biggest opposition to it was led by Obafemi Awolowo. Awolowo, as a politician and a representative of the Yoruba people, defended their claims against the move of the Capital from Lagos. However, after his election as president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari laid the first foundation for Abuja's infrastructure and pushed for its early completion.
Abuja City Planning
Districts and Areas
For ease and co-ordination of developmental efforts, the city was divided into 'Phases' by its planners, with the city's development taking a concentric form with Phase 1, which consists of the city's inner districts-Central Area, Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, Wuse II, Garki, Garki II, Guzape and Guzape II-at its core spreading out from the foot of Aso Rock, while Phase 5, consisting of the newly created Kyami District covering the vicinity of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the permanent campus of the University of Abuja, over 40 kilometres west of Aso Rock.
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Each Phase is separated from the other by an expressway (some still under construction); for example, Phases 1 and 2 are separated from each other by the Nnamdi Azikiwe expressway, while the entirety of the city proper (Phases 1-5) is enclosed by the Murtala Muhammed (Outer Northern-ONEX and Outer Southern-OSEX) expressways as well as the Federal A2 highway which traverses the Federal Capital Territory on its way to Kaduna (north-bound) and Lokoja (south-bound).
Abuja's Central District, also called Central Area, is a strip of land stretching from Aso Rock in the east to the National Stadium and the Old City gate in the West. It is like the city's spinal cord, dividing it into the northern sector with Maitama and Wuse, and the southern sector with Garki and Asokoro. While each district has its own demarcated commercial and residential sectors, the Central District is the city's principal Business Zone, where practically all parastatals and multinational corporations have their offices.
The Garki District is the area in the southwest corner of the city, having the Central District to the north and the Asokoro District to the east. The district is subdivided into units called "Areas". Garki uses a distinctive naming convention of "Area" to refer to parts of Garki. These are designated as Areas 1 to 11. Garki II is used to differentiate the area from Garki Area 2. Garki is presently the principal business and administrative district of Abuja.
Maitama District is to the north of the city, with the Wuse and Central Districts lying to its southwest and southeast, respectively. This area is home to the top-bracket sections of society and business and has the reputation of being very exclusive and very expensive.
Wuse District is the northwestern part of the city, with the Maitama District to its north and the Central District to its south. The District is numbered Zones 1-6. The Wuse Market is Abuja's principal market.
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There are five suburban districts: Nyanya Karu, Gwagwalada Kubwa, and Jikwoyi. Along the Airport Road (Now Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Express Way) are clusters of satellite settlements, namely Lugbe, Chika, Kuchigworo and Pyakassa.
Key Attractions and Landmarks
An attractive area in the Central District is the region known as the Three Arms Zone, so-called because it houses the administrative offices of the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of the federal government. A few of the other sites worth seeing in the area are the federal secretariats alongside Shehu Shagari Way, Aso Hill, the Abuja Plant Nursery, Eagle Square (which has important historic significance, as it was in this grounds that the present democratic dispensation had its origin on 29 May 1999) and in which all subsequent Presidential Inauguration ceremonies have taken place.
Major religious sites include the Nigerian National Mosque and the Nigerian National Christian Centre.
Construction of the Millennium Tower started in 2005 and was halted in 2017 after funds ran out. This structure looms 170 metres (560 ft) above the city and is the tallest artificial structure in Abuja. The tower is part of a huge cultural development complex called the Nigeria National Complex including the Nigeria Cultural Centre, a 120,000 m2 (1,300,000 sq ft) structure dedicated to the art and culture of Nigeria.
Abuja is home to several parks and green areas, with the largest one being Millennium Park. Millennium Park was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and was officially opened by the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II (the former Queen of Nigeria) in December 2003. Another open area park is located in Lifecamp Gwarimpa; near the residence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Another park is the city park, which is located in Wuse 2 and is home to numerous outdoor and indoor attractions such as a 4D cinema, Astro-turf, lawn tennis court, paintball arena and a variety of restaurants.
Millennium Park Abuja
Top 10 Must-See Attractions in Abuja You Can't Miss
Climate
Abuja under Köppen climate classification features a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). The FCT experiences three weather conditions annually. The rainy season begins from April and ends in October, when daytime temperatures reach 28 °C (82.4 °F) to 30 °C (86.0 °F) and nighttime lows hover around 22 °C (71.6 °F) to 23 °C (73.4 °F). In the dry season, daytime temperatures can soar as high as 40 °C (104.0 °F) and overnight temperatures can dip to 20 °C (68.0 °F). Even the coolest nights can be followed by daytime temperatures well above 30 °C (86.0 °F).
Demographics
At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298, making it than the eighth most populous city in Nigeria. Abuja has witnessed a huge influx of people into the city; the growth has led to the emergence of satellite towns, such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, Kuje and smaller settlements towards which the planned city is sprawling. The urban agglomeration centred upon Abuja had a population estimated at 3,770,000 in 2022. The city has a large and growing immigrant community consisting mainly of nationals from the ECOWAS sub-region.
Transportation
The Map shows a city map of Abuja with expressways, and main roads, zoom out to find the location of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (IATA code: ABV) 43 km (27 mi) west of the city's Central District.
Abuja at a Glance
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic midpoint of Nigeria |
| Status | Capital City of Nigeria |
| Key Features | Aso Rock, National Mosque, National Christian Centre, Millennium Park |
| Climate | Tropical wet and dry climate |
| Airport | Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) |
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