Description of Plateau state

Among Nigeria's 36 states, Plateu is the twelfth largest. Located roughly in the center of Nigeria, the Jos Plateau, along with its capital city, is a topographical oddity due to the surrounding hills of varying elevations.

As the "Home of Peace and Tourism," Plateau State has a lot going for it. It gets its name from the Jos Plateau and is home to about 3.5 million people who enjoy the area's natural rock formations, hills, and waterfalls.

Plateau is a state in eastern Nigeria that was formed in 1976 from what was then called Benue-Plateau state's northern part. Kaduna and Bauchi to the north, Taraba to the east, and Nassarawa to the south and west form its borders. To the north-central section of the state is the Jos Plateau, which rises to an elevation of roughly 5,250 feet (1,600 m) above sea level, and to the southwest is the Benue River basin. Vegetation is largely open grassland (previously wooded but now with just occasional hedges of cacti and scattered trees), utilized for grazing and farming. Most of the population works in agriculture, despite the state's prominence in the mining industry. Yams, sorghum, corn (maize), potatoes, cowpeas, rice, fruits, and vegetables are grown for subsistence, while acha (a grain known as "hungry rice") and millet are the primary cash crops. Milk for the dairy in Vom comes from cows grazed by Fulani herders on the tsetse-free plateau. The state's economy relies heavily on the sale of hides and skins.

Located in central Nigeria at an elevation of 4,250 feet (1,295 meters), Jos is the state capital of Plateau. Near the headwaters of the Jamaari River, it can be found on the Delimi (called the Bunga farther downstream).

Geash, a settlement of the Birom people, once stood where the modern town now stands, and the town grew quickly after the British discovered massive tin mines in the area around 1903. People in Africa had been mining the Delimi and other plateau streams for years to find the metal in their alluvial deposits. Naraguta Hausawa, located 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) to the north, has been a tin-processing hub since the 18th century. Mining there began in 1905. The metal was trucked to the port of Loko on the Benue River (about 150 miles; 240 kilometers to the southwest), where it was transferred to a ship bound for Forcados in the Niger delta. In 1914, the Bauchi Light Railway was constructed to transport tin from Jos and the surrounding area of Bukuru to Zaria (114 miles [184 km] to the northwest) and from there to Lagos via the main rail line. However, after the standard-gauge railway was extended from Port Harcourt in 1927, a more direct route to the Niger delta ports was made available, and the Bauchi Light Railway was closed in 1957.

Since the beginning of World War II, Jos has been a hill resort thanks to its high height and one of the coolest temperatures in Nigeria. It has many broad, tree-lined streets. The Jos Museum (1952) displays terra-cotta figurines, as well as relics made of bronze, brass, wood, and pottery, all from the Nok culture, an ancient civilisation that thrived in the area between 500 BCE and 200 CE. The museum runs a training program for museum workers in conjunction with UNESCO. The municipality is home to a variety of attractions, including a zoo, a wildlife park, an arboretum, and an open-air museum of traditional architecture. Jos is home to the Federal School of Medical Laboratory Technology and the University of Jos, which began with a teaching hospital in 1975. There are numerous general and specialist hospitals in Jos, many of which are supported by public, private, and religious organizations. Roads connect it to Lafia, Bauchi, Kaduna, and Zaria, and it sits on a rail line that leads to Port Harcourt, 378 miles (608 km) to the south-southwest.

During World War II, columbite mining became in importance, and by the 1960s, smelters had been built not far from Jos. As the decade progressed, the petroleum industry started to dominate the economy, while mining gradually lost ground. Kaolin (a clay used to make pottery) deposits are also mined commercially because of their proximity to the tin fields. Producing food, beer, cosmetics, soap, and furniture are just some of the other local businesses. Crushed stone is a by-product of the industrial sector. Jos is also a hub for the printing and publishing industries, and it is a major building hub.

Plateau state is Nigeria's premier mining region, producing and shipping out large quantities of precious metals including tin and columbite. Jos, the state capital and largest city, serves as the melting point for the tin. In order to export the metals, they are transported by rail to Port Harcourt. Tantalite, kaolin, tungsten (wolfram), zircon, and compounds of thorium are among the other minerals mined on the plateau. In the eastern section of the state, around Wase, Zurak, and Kigom, small-scale lead, zinc, and silver mines operate.

State of a plateau is There are roughly 40 different ethnic groups living in the state, including the Vergam, Ankwei, Angas, Jawara (Jarauci), Birom, Mango, Fulani, Hausa, and Eggen, giving the state its well-known diversity. Europeans, Igbo (Ibos), and Yorubas have all relocated to the state for its mining opportunities. Jos has a road network that links it to Wamba, Akwanga, Keffi, and Lafia, and it also has an airport. Additional major commercial and mining hubs include Lafia, Pankshin, Wamba, Shendam, and Akwanga. At Jos, you can visit the zoo or the museum, both of which have sculptures made of Nok terra-cotta. The city of Jos is home to a federal university, and the city of Bukuru is home to a college of technology. Both Vom (home to a veterinary science research facility) and Bukuru (home to a human health research facility) are home to (strategic studies). Total Area: 11,936 Sq. Mi (30,913 square km)

The Plateau state is home to a variety of natural resources, including those listed below. The following minerals are included: barite, bauxite, betonite, bismuth, cassiterite, clay, coal, emerald, fluoride, gem, granite, iron-ore, kaolin, lead/zinc, marble, molybdenite, phrochlore, salt, tin, wolfram, and tasalite/columbite.

Boundaries

Plateau State is located at North Central Zone out of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, with an area of exactly 26,899 square km2 Plateau State has an overall population of about 3 million people. Plateau state is situated between latitude 08°24'N and longitude 008°32' and 010°38' east. Plateau state is named after the picturesque Jos Plateau, a mountainous area in the north of the state with attracting rock formations.  In Plateau state bare rocks are scattered across the grasslands, which cover the plateau. The altitude in Plateau state varies from around 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) to a peak of 1,829 metres (6,001 ft) above sea level in the Sphere Hills range near Jos. 

Climate

Plateau state  is situated in the tropical zone, a higher altitude means that Plateau State has a near temperate climate with an average temperature of between 13 and 22 °C.  In Plateau state harmattan winds cause the coldest weather between December and February.  In Plateau state the warmest temperatures usually occur in the dry season months of March and April. In Plateau state the mean annual rainfall varies between 131.75 cm (52 in) in the southern part to 146 cm (57 in). In Plateau state the highest rainfall is recorded during the wet season months of July and August. In plateau state the average lower temperatures in Plateau State has led to a reduced incidence of some tropical diseases such as malaria.

Geology

In Plateau state there are abundance of hillocks with gentle slopes rising from the ground like mushrooms scattered with huge boulders. In Plateau state, volcanic activity 50 million years ago created lot of volcanoes and vast basaltic plateaus formed from lava flows which also produces regions of mainly narrow and intense valleys and pediments (surfaces made smooth by erosion) from the middle of rounded hills with sheer rock faces. The phases of volcanic activities involved in the formation of Plateau State have made it one of the mineral rich states in the country. In plateau state tin is still mined and processed.

Tourism

 The motto of Plateau State is known as "The Home of Peace and Tourism in Nigeria ". Although the tourism sector is not flourishing as much as it should due to limited allocations to it by the State Government, it  natural endowments are still attractions to travelers mostly within Nigeria.

The Wildlife Safari ParK

 The wildlife Safari park offers a wide variety of wild animals within easy viewing. These include Buffalos, Lions, baboons, derby elands, Rock pythons, crocodiles, chimpanzees, and Marabou storks.  

Elephant at Jos Wildlife Park

In Plateau state the National Museum in Jos was founded in 1952, and is known as one of the best in the country. The National Museum was famous for its archeology and the Pottery hall has a suprising collection of finely crafted pottery from all over Nigeria. In Plateau state the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture is adjacent, with life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of Kano and to a Tiv village.