10 smallest states of Nigeria by land area

The 10 smallest states of Nigeria by land area are:

Lagos
Anambra
Abia
Imo
Ekiti
Ebonyi
Akwa Ibom
Enugu
Federal Capital Territory
Osun

Full list of Nigeria states by land area. From smallest to largest

StateArea (Km²)
Lagos3,475
Anambra4,761
Abia4,857
Imo5,135
Ekiti5,797
Ebonyi6,342
Akwa Ibom6,788
Enugu7,560
Federal Capital Territory7,569
Osun8,585
Bayelsa9,363
Rivers10,361
Ondo15,019
Ogun16,850
Delta17,095
Gombe17,428
Edo19,584
Kano20,389
Cross River22,112
Jigawa23,415
Katsina23,822
Plateau26,539
Nasarawa26,633
Oyo27,036
Kogi29,063
Benue30,755
Sokoto32,146
Zamfara33,667
Kwara33,792
Kebbi36,320
Adamawa37,957
Kaduna44,217
Yobe44,880
Bauchi48,197
Taraba59,180
Niger72,065
Borno72,767
Total911,519

By the time that Nigeria got independence it was a federation of the three regions, namely:

Western
Eastern
Northern

Later on another region was added, the Mid-Western Region.

The Mid-Western Region was formed from the Western Region in 1966, and Lagos, the capital, was effectively governed as an unofficial fourth region outside the bounds of the Western Region.

This brought the number of regions to 4 as follows:

Western
Mid-Western
Western
Northern

Under the short-lived military government of Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria was reorganized under a central government. Following a coup which resulted in Aguiyi-Ironsi’s deposition and assassination, Nigeria was reorganized as a federal country again with three of the regions being divided into newer entities and all first-level subdivisions being renamed as states.

Western Region was divided into:
Lagos
and Western states.

Eastern Region was divided into:
East-Central,
Rivers,
and South-Eastern states;

Northern Region was divided into:
Benue-Plateau,
Kano,
Kwara,
North-Central,
North-Eastern,
and North-Western (Sokoto) states

In 1976, six years after the end of the civil war, the states were further reorganized:

State boundaries and names were also reorganized.

Benue-Plateau state divided into:
Benue
and Plateau states.

East-Central state divided into:
Anambra
and Imo states.
Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) formed from parts of Niger and Plateau states.

North-Eastern state divided into:
Bauchi,
Borno,
and Gongola states.
Niger (Minna) state split from Sokoto.

Western state divided into:
Ogun,
Ondo,
and Oyo states

Akwa Ibom state created from Cross River;
Katsina state created from Kaduna

Abia State created from Imo;
Bendel State divided into Delta and Edo;
Enugu State created from Anambra;
Gongola State divided into Adamawa and Taraba;
Jigawa State created from Kano;
Kebbi State created from Sokoto;
Kogi State formed from parts of Benue and Kwara;
Osun State created from Oyo;
Yobe State created from Borno.

Bayelsa State created from Rivers;
Ebonyi State was formed from parts of Abia and Enugu;
Ekiti State created from Ondo;
Gombe State created from Bauchi;
Nasarawa State created from Plateau;
Zamfara State was created from Sokoto.