List of states and capitals in Nigeria.

The 36 states in Nigeria and their capitals are:

1. Abia – Umuahia
2. Adamawa – Yola
3. Akwa Ibom – Uyo
4. Anambra – Awka
5. Bauchi – Bauchi
6. Bayelsa – Yenagoa
7. Benue – Makurdi
8. Borno – Maiduguri
9. Cross River – Calabar
10. Delta – Asaba
11. Ebonyi – Abakaliki
12. Edo – Benin City
13. Ekiti – Ado Ekiti
14. Enugu – Enugu
15. Gombe – Gombe
16. Imo – Owerri
17. Jigawa – Dutse
18. Kaduna – Kaduna
19. Kano – Kano
20. Katsina – Katsina
21. Kebbi – Birnin Kebbi
22. Kogi – Lokoja
23. Kwara – Ilorin
24. Lagos – Ikeja
25. Nasarawa – Lafia
26. Niger – Minna
27. Ogun – Abeokuta
28. Ondo – Akure
29. Osun – Oshogbo
30. Oyo – Ibadan
31. Plateau – Jos
32. Rivers – Port Harcourt
33. Sokoto – Sokoto
34. Taraba – Jalingo
35. Yobe – Damaturu
36. Zamfara – Gusau

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.

Nigeria is a country in Africa, a regional power on the continent and an emerging power on the international scene.

It has 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Having being divided into states, the country is further divided into 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

The LGAs are under the control of their respective states.

The country has the largest economy in Africa.

Nigeria’s population is over 230 million, making it number 1 most populated country in Africa, and number 6 in the world.

It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi).

It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean.

Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west.

It is often referred to as the Giant of Africa owing to its large population and economy and is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank.

The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the largest in Africa.

The official language is English, chosen to facilitate linguistic unity at the national level.

Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures.