The
Federal Capital Territory is the home of
AbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
, the capital of
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The Territory was formed in 1976 from parts of former Nasarawa,
NigerNiger State is a state in the western part of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State.The state is named...
, and
KogiKogi state is found in the central region of Nigeria. It is popularly called the Confluence State because the confluence of River Niger and River Benue is at its capital, Lokoja, which is the first administrative capital of modern-day Nigeria....
States. It is in the
central regionThe Middle Belt is a human geographical term designating the region of central Nigeria populated largely by minority ethnic groups and stretching across the country longitudinally. The Middle Belt is indeterminate in that it lacks designated "borders" and is charactized by a heterogeneity and...
of the country. Unlike the States of Nigeria, which are headed by elected Governors, it is administered by the
Federal Capital Territory AdministrationThe Federal Capital Territory Administration is a Nigerian ministry that administers the Federal Capital Territory, centered on Abuja.It is headed by a Minister appointed by the President, assisted by a Permanent Secretary, who is a career civil servant....
, headed by a minister appointed by the
PresidentThe President of Nigeria is the Head of State and head of the national executive. Officially styled President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The current President of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.-History:On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained...
.
Geography
The territory is located just north of the confluence of the River Niger and
Benue RiverThe Benue River is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately 1,400 km long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months...
. It is bordered by the states of Niger to the West and North,
Kaduna-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...
to the northeast,
NasarawaNasarawa State is a state in central Nigeria. Its capital is Lafia.-History:Nasarawa was created on 1 October 1996 by the Abacha government from the Plateau State.-Geography:...
to the east and south, and Kogi to the southwest.
Lying between latitude 8.25 and 9.20 north of the equator and longitude 6.45 and 7.39 east of Greenwich Meridian, Abuja is geographically located in the center of the country.
The Federal Capital Territory has a landmass of approximately 7,315 km², of which the actual city occupies 275.3 sq km. It is situated within the
SavannahSavannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
region with moderate climatic conditions.
Area councils
The territory is currently made up of six local councils, comprising the City of
AbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
and five Local Government Areas, namely:
- Abaji
Abaji is a Local Government Area of the Federal Capital Territory . Its headquarters are in the town of Abaji.It has an area of 992 km² and a population of 58,444 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 905.- References :...
- Gwagwalada
Gwagwalada is one of the five Local Government Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, together with Abaji, Kuje, Bwari, and Kwali; the FCT also includes the City of Abuja...
- Kuje
Kuje is a Local Government Area of the Federal Capital Territory and the town which is the headquarters of the LGA. It is about 40 km south west of Abuja, the Capital of Nigeria....
- Bwari
Bwari is a Local Government Area of the Federal Capital Territory . Its headquarters are in the town of Bwari.It has an area of 914 km² and a population of 227,216 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 901....
- Kwali
Kwali is a Local Government Area of the Federal Capital Territory . Its headquarters are in the town of Kwali.It has an area of 1,206 km² and a population of 85,837 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 904.-References:...
External links