Description of Nasarawa state

Nasarawa State is a state in the North Central area of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the north by Kaduna State, to the south by the states of Kogi and Benue, and to the west by the Federal Capital Territory. Nasarawa State, named after the former Nasarawa Emirate, was officially established on October 1, 1996, carving out territory to the west of Plateau State. The state capital, Lafia, is in the eastern part of the state, and the Karu Urban Area, a suburb of Abuja, is located on the western boundary of the state near the Federal Capital Territory.

Nasarawa ranks fifteenth in size out of Nigeria's thirty-six states, and its 2016 population estimate of 2.5 million places it second from the bottom in terms of total population.

There is a large portion of the state that is located in the tropical Guinean forest-savanna mosaic ecoregion. Nasarawa State is located in northeast Nigeria, and its far northeast is home to a tiny portion of the Jos Plateau. The state's southern borders are largely formed by the River Benue.

The Koro and Yeskwa live in the state's far northwest, the Kofyar live in its far northeast, the Eggon, Gwandara, Mada, Ninzo, and Nungu live in the north, the Alago, Goemai, and Megili live in the east, the Eloyi live in the south, the Tiv live in the southeast, the Idoma live in the southwest, and the Gade and Gbagyi live in the west. About 60% of Nasarawa's population is Muslim, 30% are Christians, and 10% practice traditional ethnic religions, making it a religiously and culturally diverse state.

Until the Fulani jihad annexed the region in the early 1800s and placed it under the Sokoto Caliphate as the vassal states of Keffi, Lafia, and Nasarawa, the area that is now Nasarawa State was divided among a number of different states, some of which were small and village-based and others were part of larger empires. In the 1890s and 1900s, British expeditions seized the area and incorporated it into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. After the protectorate was absorbed by British Nigeria in 1914, Nigeria gained its independence in 1960. Until the post-independence Northern Region was partitioned in 1967, modern-day Nasarawa State was a part of the Benue-Plateau State. Before 1996, the area that is now Nasarawa State was a part of the new Plateau State, which had been created when Benue-Plateau was divided.

The states of Kaduna to the north, the Federal Capital Territory to the west, Kogi and Benue to the south, and Taraba and Plateau to the east surround Nasarawa State.

All of Nasarawa's rural areas and main towns are connected by a system of roadways. Trains run between Kuru, Gombe, and Maiduguri thanks to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

There were 1,869,377 people living in Nasarawa State as of the 2006 census, making it the second-least populous state in Nigeria after Bayelsa State.

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in Nasarawa State, and the state's most important crops are sesame, soybeans, groundnut, millet, maize, and yams. Livestock herding and ranching of cattle, goats, and sheep are also important, especially in metropolitan areas. Throughout its history, the state has been plagued by bloodshed, most notably the persistent conflict between herders and farmers, which is centered on land rights. Nasarawa has the 19th highest Human Development Index in the country and many universities despite the war.

The area's primarily Afo people makes a living through farming and mining (for tin and columbite). Markets for the yams, sorghum, millet, soybeans, shea nuts, and cotton farmed in the region all converge in Nasarawa. A secondary school and a hospital provide essential community services. Keffi and the Benue River ports of Loko and Umaisha are all accessible from this hub.

Geography

Nasarawa State is launched in the north by Kaduna State, in the west by the Federal Capital Territory, in the south by Kogi and Benue States and in the east by Taraba and Plateau States. A network of roads subsist within Nasarawa state, connecting all rural areas and major towns. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) utilizes train services from Kuru, Gombe and Maiduguri.

Education

Nasarawa state has a College of Education in Akwanga, Federal polytechnic Nasarawa, College of Agriculture in Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai. Polytechnic Lafia, Nasarawa State University Faculty of Agriculture Lafia Camous, a recently commisioned Federal University of Lafia, Bingham University Karu, NACAP polytechnic Akwanga, Command secondary school Lafia, Command secondary school Rinze, Vocational and applicable technology board, and many primary and secondary schools.

Tourism

In Wamba Local Government area  of  Nasarawa state  there is Farin Ruwa Falls . Farin Ruwa falls is respected to be one of the highest falls in Africa.  In  Nasarawa state there is also the Salt Village in Keana Local Government Area . The salt village produces naturally iodized salt from the lake located near it. Nasarawa state is also one of the cradles of Alago civilization . In Nasarawa State another tourist centre is the Maloney Hill, also there is a beautiful sunset at Maloney Hill.

Agriculture

Nasarawa State has agriculture as the occupation of its economy with the production of numerous  cash crops throughout the year yielding a great result.  There are numerous minerals such as salt, baryte, and bauxite, which are mostly mined by artisanal miners in Nasarawa state.  Nasarawa state  is a commercial place for the yams, sorghum, millet, soybeans, sheanuts, and cotton grown in the surrounding area. Nasarawa state  is served by a secondary school and a hospital. Prominent among the mineral deposits of the Nasarawa are coal, barytes, salt, limestone, clays, glass sand, tantalite, columbite, cassiterite, iron ore, lead, and zinc. In Nasarawa state the essential occupation is agriculture, with over 90% of its working population involved with little or no automobile devices to the neglect of other development potentials.