10 Largest Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Nigeria

The 10 largest Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria by land area are:

① Borgu
Land area: 11,267 km2
State: Niger
The headquarters of Borgu is New Bussa.

Borgu’s leading land area of 11,267 km2 is followed by:

② Baruten
Land area: 9,749 km2
State: Kwara
The headquarters of Baruten is Kosubosu

③ Mashegu
Land area: 9,182 km2
State: Niger
The headquarters of Mashegu is also called Mashegu

④ Bali
Land area: 9,146 km2
State: Taraba
The headquarters of is also called Bali

⑤ Gashaka
Land area: 8,393 km2
State: Taraba
The headquarters of Gashaka is Serti

⑥ Kaiama: 6,971
⑦ Maru: 6,654
⑧ Karim-Lamido: 6,620
⑨ Damboa: 6,219
⑩ Birnin-Gwari: 6,185

Borgu

Borgu Local Government Area, in Niger State, is Nigeria’s largest Local Government Area by land size with 11,267 km2.

The headquarters of Borgu is New Bussa.

All Saints Cathedral, Anglican Church, New Bussa, Borgu LGA, Niger State, Nigeria
New Bussa

Borgu’s land area of 11,267 km2 makes it larger than 89 countries including Kososvo, Jamaica, Lebanon, Gambia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Singapore and 91 others.

Borgu LGA is larger than these countries

COUNTRY. LAND AREA (km2)

Kosovo: 10,887.00 Km2 of land area
Jamaica 10,831.00
Lebanon 10,230.00
Gambia 10,120.00
Bahamas 10,010.00
Cyprus 9,241.00
Puerto Rico 8,959.00
French Southern and Antarctic Lands 7,668.00
Palestinian Territories 6,000.00
Brunei 5,265.00
Trinidad and Tobago 5,128.00
Cape Verde 4,033.00
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 3,903.00
French Polynesia 3,827.00
Samoa 2,821.00
Luxembourg 2,586.00
Reunion 2,504.00
Comoros 2,235.00
Mauritius 2,030.00
Guadeloupe 1,628.00
Faroe Islands 1,393.00
Martinique 1,128.00
Hong Kong 1,073.00
Sao Tome and Principe 964
Turks and Caicos Islands 948
Kiribati 811
Bahrain 760
Dominica 751
Tonga 717
Singapore 709.2
Micronesia 702
Saint Lucia 606
Isle of Man 572
Guam 544
Andorra 468
Northern Mariana Islands 464
Palau 459
Seychelles 455
Curacao 444
Antigua and Barbuda 442.6
Barbados 430
Heard Island and McDonald Islands 412
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 394
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 389
Jan Mayen 377
Mayotte 374
Virgin Islands of the U.S. 346
Grenada 344
Caribbean Netherlands 322
Malta 316
Maldives 298
Cayman Islands 264
Saint Kitts and Nevis 261
Niue 260
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 242
Cook Islands 236
American Samoa 224
Marshall Islands 181
Aruba 180
Liechtenstein 160
British Virgin Islands 151
Wallis and Futuna 142
Jersey 116
Montserrat 102
Anguilla 91
Guernsey 78.1
San Marino 61.2
British Indian Ocean Territory 60
Saint Martin 54.4
Bermuda 53.6
Bouvet Island 49
Pitcairn 47.3
Sint Maarten 34
Macau 28.2
Tuvalu 25.6
Saint Barthelemy 25
U.S. Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges 22.4
Nauru 21.2
Tokelau 12
Paracel Islands 7.8
Gibraltar 6.5
Wake Island 6.5
Clipperton Island 6
Navassa Island 5.4
Ashmore and Cartier Islands 5
Spratly Islands 5
Coral Sea Islands 3
Monaco 2
Vatican City 0.4

The Ancient Kingdom of Borgu

The ancient Kingdom of Borgu was a historically significant region in West Africa, comprising parts of what is today northern Benin and western Nigeria. The kingdom was primarily populated by two major ethnic groups: the Boko/Busa and the Baatombu (or Bariba) people, both of whom still dominate much of this region today. Borgu’s legacy, spanning centuries, offers insights into the region’s rich cultural, political, and linguistic diversity.

Geographical Composition of Borgu

Borgu encompassed a wide area, which today straddles two modern nations: the Republic of Benin and Nigeria. In Benin, the Boko people are mainly concentrated in the sub-prefectures of Segbana and Kalale, while the Baatombu people dominate the remaining part of the Borgu region, such as Kandi, Banikoara, Bembereke, Sinende, N’Dali, Nikki, Parakou, Perere, Gogonou, and Tchaourou. Beyond the traditional Borgu territories in Benin, the Baatombu also exert influence in areas like Kerou, Kouande, Wassa-Tobre, and Wassa-Pehunco, which were historically tied to the kingdom.

In Nigeria, the Boko/Busa people dominate the Borgu Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger State, as well as the Kaiama LGA in Kwara State and the Illo district within the Bagudo LGA of Kebbi State. The Baatombu (Bariba) people, on the other hand, are primarily found in the Baruten LGA in Kwara State, reinforcing their presence as a key demographic in the Borgu region.