Kano

Coordinates: 12°00′N 8°31′E / 12°N

8.517°ECoordinates: 12°00′N 8°31′E / 12°N 8.517°E

Country Nigeria

State Kano State

Government

• Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (PDP)

Area

• Metro 499 km2 (193 sq mi)

Population (2006 census)

• City 2,163,225

• Metro 2,828,861

[1]

Time zone CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+1)

Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan

population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 km2 and

comprises six Local Government Area (LGAs) - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni

and Nassarawa - with a population of 2,163,225 at the 2006 Nigerian census. The Metropolitan

Area covers 499 km2 and comprises eight LGAs - the six mentioned above plus Ungogo and

Kumbotso - with a population of 2,828,861 at the 2006 Nigerian census.

The principal inhabitants of the city are the Hausa people. As in most parts of Northern Nigeria,

the Hausa Language is widely spoken in Kano. The city is the capital of the Kano Emirate, and

the current Emir, Ado Bayero, has been on the throne since 1963. The city is home to the

Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the main airport serving northern Nigeria and was

named after Nigerian politician Aminu Kano.

Contents

[hide]

1 History

o 1.1 Fulani conquest and rule

o 1.2 British colonization and rule

o 1.3 Post-independence history

2 Geography

3 Climate

4 Demographics

5 Transportation/Aviation

6 Economy

7 Durbar Festival

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links

History

1850 steel engraving of Kano

See also: Kingdom of Kano

In the 7th century, Dala Hill, a residual hill in Kano, was the site of a hunting and gathering

community that engaged in iron work; it is unknown whether these were Hausa people or

speakers of Niger–Congo languages.[2]

Kano was originally known as Dala, after the hill, and

was referred to as such as late as the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by

Bornoan sources.[3]

The Kano Chronicle identifies Barbushe, a priest of a Dala Hill spirit, as the city's first settler.

(Elizabeth Isichei notes that the description of Barbushe is similar to those of Sao people.)[4]

While small chiefdoms were previously present in the area, according to the Kano Chronicle,

Bagauda, a grandson of the mythical hero Bayajidda,[5]

became the first king of Kano in 999,

reigning until 1063.[6][7]

His grandson Gijimasu (1095–1134), the third king, began building city

walls at the foot of Dalla Hill, and his own son, Tsaraki (1136–1194), the fifth king, completed

them during his reign.[7]

Muhammad Rumfa ascended to the throne in 1463 and reigned until 1499. During his reign, he

reformed the city, expanded the Sahelian Gidan Rumfa (Emir's Palace), and played a role in the

further Islamization of the city,[8]

as he urged prominent residents to convert.[9]

The Kano

Chronicle attributes a total of twelve "innovations" to Rumfa.[10]

According to the Kano Chronicle, the thirty-seventh Sarkin Kano (King of Kano) was

Mohammed Sharef (1703–1731). His successor, Kumbari dan Sharefa (1731–1743), engaged in

major battles with Sokoto.

Fulani conquest and rule

At the beginning of the 19 century, Fulani Islamic leader Usman dan Fodio led a jihad affecting

much of northern Nigeria, leading to the emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate. Kano was the

largest and most prosperous province of the empire.[11]

This was one of the last major slave

societies, with high percentages of enslaved population long after the Atlantic slave trade had

been cut off. Heinrich Barth, a German scholar who spent several years in northern Nigeria in the

1850s, estimated the percentage of slaves in Kano to be at least 50%, most of whom lived in

slave villages.[11]

The city suffered famines from 1807–10, in the 1830s, 1847, 1855, 1863, 1873, 1884, and from

1889 until 1890.[12]

From 1893 until 1895, two rival claimants for the throne fought a civil war, or Basasa. With the

help of royal slaves, Yusufu was victorious over Tukur, and claimed the title of emir.[13]

British colonization and rule

Kano in December 1930. Air photo taken by Swiss pilot and photographer Walter Mittelholzer.

British forces captured Kano in 1903 and made it the administrative centre of Northern Nigeria.

It was replaced as the centre of government by Kaduna, and only regained administrative

significance with the creation of Kano State following Nigerian independence.

From 1913 to 1914, as the peanut business was expanding, Kano suffered a major drought,

which caused a famine.[14]

Other famines during British rule occurred in 1908, 1920, 1927, 1943,

1951, 1956, and 1958.[12]

By 1922, groundnut trader Alhassan Dantata had become the richest businessman in Kano,

surpassing fellow merchants Umaru Sharubutu Koki and Maikano Agogo.[15]

In May 1953, an inter-ethnic riot arose due to southern newspapers misreporting on the nature of

a disagreement between northern and southern politicians in the House of Representatives.[16]

Thousands of Nigerians of southern origin died as a result of the riot.[17]

Post-independence history

Ado Bayero became Emir of Kano in 1963. Kano state was created in 1967 from the then

Northern Nigeria by the Federal military government. The first military Police commissioner

Audu Bako is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society.

Most of the social amenities in the state are credited to him.[citation needed]

The first civilian

governor was Abubakar Rimi.

In December 1980, radical preacher Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine led riots in Kano. He was

killed by security forces, but his followers later started uprisings in other northern cities.[18]

After the introduction of sharia in Kano State in 2000, many Christians left the city.[19]

100

people were killed in riots over the sharia issue during October 2001.[20]

In November 2007, political violence broke out in the city after the People's Democratic Party

(PDP) accused the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) of rigging the November 17, 2007 local

government elections.[21]

(The ANPP won in 36 of the state's 44 Local Government Areas.)[22]

Hundreds of youths took to the streets, over 300 of whom were arrested; at least 25 people were

killed. Buildings set on fire include a sharia police station, an Islamic centre, and a council

secretariat. 280 federal soldiers were deployed around the city.[23]

In January 2012 a series of bomb attacks in Kano killed up to 162 people. Four police stations,

the State Security Service headquarters, passport offices and immigration centres were attacked.

Militants of the Boko Haram claimed responsibility.[24]

After the bombings, Kano was placed

under curfew.[25]

[edit] Geography

Kano is located at 481 meters (or about 1580 feet) above sea level. The city lies to the north of

the Jos Plateau, located in the Sudanian Savanna region that stretches across the south of the

Sahel. The city lies near where the Kano and Challawa rivers flowing from the southwest

converge to form the Hadejia River, which eventually flows into Lake Chad to the east.

[edit] Climate

The region features savanna vegetation and a hot, semi-arid climate. Kano sees on average about

873 mm of precipitation per year,[26]

the bulk of which falls from June through September. Kano

is typically very hot throughout the year, though from December through February, the city is

noticeably cooler. Nighttime temperatures are cool during the months of December, January and

February, with average low temperatures ranging from 11°-14°C.

[hide]Climate data for Cano

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average high °C (°F) 30

(86)

33

(91)

37

(98)

39

(102)

38

(100)

34

(93)

31

(87)

29

(84)

31

(87)

34

(93)

34

(93)

31

(87)

33.2

(91.8)

Average low °C (°F) 12 14 18 22 23 22 21 20 21 19 15 12 18.0

(53) (57) (64) (71) (73) (71) (69) (68) (69) (66) (59) (53) (64.4)

Precipitation cm (inches) 0

(0)

0

(0)

0

(0)

1

(0.4)

6

(2.4)

11

(4.5)

20

(7.9)

29

(11.3)

12

(4.8)

1

(0.5)

0

(0)

0

(0)

81

(31.8)

Source: Weatherbase [27]

Kano

Climate chart (explanation)

J F M A M J J A S O N D

0

30

13

1

33

15

2

37

19

8

38

24

71

37

24

119

34

23

209

31

22

311

29

21

137

31

21

14

34

19

1

33

16

0

31

13

Average max. and min. temperatures in

°C

Precipitation totals in mm

Source: Kano climate info [26]

[show]Imperial conversion

Demographics

Kano is largely Muslim. The majority of Kano Muslims are Sunni, though a minority adhere to

the Shia branch (see Shia in Nigeria). Christians and followers of other non-Muslim religions

form a small part of the population, and traditionally lived in the Sabon Gari, or Foreign

Quarter.[20]

Transportation/Aviation

Kano is strategically located and owing to its leading position as commercial hub in the sub-

Saharan Africa. Kano is linked to many African cities by road. Fleets of trucks and buses and

other link Kano with many cities in Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Republic of Benin. Kabo Air, an

airline, has its head office on the grounds of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in

Kano.[28]

Kano is also linked to Europe, Middle east, and north Africa. Kano Airport is served by

Egypt Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Middle East Air, KLM.[29]

It is also connected to Lagos and

Abuja by several domestic airlines (IRS, Dana Air, Bellview, Arik and others)

Economy

Elaborately dressed horseman returns after paying tribute to Emir of Kano during the Durbar of October

2006

Kano has long been the economic centre of northern Nigeria, and a centre for the production and

export of peanuts. Kano houses the Bayero University and a railway station with trains to Lagos

routed through Kaduna, while Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport lies nearby. Because

Kano is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal access to the seaports at Lagos and Port

Harcourt.

Formerly walled, most of the gates to the Old City survive. The Old City houses the vast Kurmi

Market, known for its crafts, while old dye pits – still in use – lie nearby. Also in the Old City are

the Emir's Palace, the Great Mosque, and the Gidan Makama Mosque. Kano has six districts.

They are the Old City, Bompai, Fagge, Sabon Gari, Syrian Quarter, and Nassarawa.[30]

The city

also contains the Gidan Makama Museum Kano, housed in a 15th century building that is a

National Monument.

As of November 2007, there are plans to establish an information technology park in the city.[31]

The city is supplied with water by the nearby Challawa Gorge Dam, which is also being

considered as a source of hydro power.[32]

The airline Kabo Air has its head office in the city.[33]

Durbar Festival

The Emir of Kano hosts a Durbar to mark and celebrate the two annual Muslim festivals and

Eid-ul-Fitr (to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (to mark the Hajj

Holy Pilgrimage). The Durbar culminates in a procession of highly elaborately dressed horsemen

who pass through the city to the Emir's palace. Once assembled near the palace, groups of

horsemen, each group representing a nearby village, take it in turns to charge towards the Emir,

pulling up just feet in front of the seated dignitaries to offer their respect and allegiance.

References

1. ^ Kano Municipal LGA population as per:

Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette (15 May 2007). "Legal Notice on Publication of the

Details of the Breakdown of the National and State Provisional Totals 2006 Census" (PDF).

http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/nbsapps/Connections/Pop2006.pdf. Retrieved 2007-05-19.

2. ^ Iliffe, John (2007). Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge University Press. p. 75.

ISBN 0-521-86438-0.

3. ^ Nast, Heidi J (2005). Concubines and Power: Five Hundred Years in a Northern Nigerian Palace.

University of Minnesota Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-8166-4154-4.

4. ^ Isichei, Elizabeth (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press.

p. 234. ISBN 0-521-45599-5.

http://books.google.com/?id=LgnhYDozENgC&pg=PA234&lpg=PA234.

5. ^ Okehie-Offoha, Marcellina; Matthew N. O. Sadiku (December 1995). Ethnic and Cultural

Diversity in Nigeria. Africa World Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-86543-283-3.

6. ^ "Kano". Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9039547/Hausa.

7. ^ a b Ki-Zerbo, Joseph (1998). UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa

from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century. University of California Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-520-

06699-5.

8. ^ "Caravans Across the Desert: Marketplace". AFRICA: One Continent. Many Worlds.. Natural

History Museum of Los Angeles County Foundation. Archived from the original on January 2,

2005.

http://web.archive.org/web/20050102214010/http://www.nhm.org/africa/tour/desert/030.ht

m. Retrieved 2007-05-06.

9. ^ "50 Greatest Africans - Sarki Muhammad Rumfa & Emperor Semamun". When We Ruled.

Every Generation Media. http://www.whenweruled.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=25. Retrieved

2007-05-05.

10. ^ Nast, p. 61

11. ^ a b Lovejoy, Paul (1983). Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa. Cambridge

UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-521-24369-6.

12. ^ a b Milich, Lee (1997-07-17). "Food Security in Pre-Colonial Hausaland". College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences. http://ag.arizona.edu/~lmilich/afoodsec.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26.

13. ^ Stilwell, Sean (2000). "Power, Honour and Shame: The Ideology of Royal Slavery in the Sokoto

Caliphate". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, (Edinburgh University Press) 70

(3): 394–421. doi:10.2307/1161067. JSTOR 1161067.

14. ^ Christelow, Allan (1987). "Property and Theft in Kano at the Dawn of the Groundnut Boom,

1912-1914". The International Journal of African Historical Studies (Boston University African

Studies Center) 20 (2): 225–243. doi:10.2307/219841. JSTOR 219841.

15. ^ Dan-Asabe, Abdulkarim Umar (November 2000). "Biography of Select Kano Merchants, 1853-

1955" (– Scholar search). FAIS Journal of Humanities 1 (2). Archived from the original on September 3,

2007.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070903072846/http://www.kanostate.net/Support+Files/Biogra

phy+of+Select+Kano+Merchants.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-09.[dead link]

16. ^ Ernest E., Uwazie; Isaac Olawale Albert and G. N. Uzoigwe (1999). "The Role of Communication

in the Escalation of Ethnic and Religious Conflicts". Inter-Ethnic and Religious Conflict Resolution

in Nigeria. Lexington Books. p. 20. ISBN 0-7391-0033-5.

17. ^ Uwazie et al., p. 73

18. ^ Hunwick, John Owen; Ibrahim Gambari (chapter author) (1992). "The Role of Religion in

National Life: Reflections on Recent Experiences in Nigeria". Religion and National Integration in

Africa: Islam, Christianity and Politics in the Sudan and Nigeria. Northwestern University Press.

p. 90. ISBN 0-8101-1037-7.

19. ^ "Nigeria's Kano state celebrates Sharia". BBC News. 2000-06-21.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/798630.stm. Retrieved 2007-11-04.

20. ^ a b "Kano: Nigeria's ancient city-state". BBC online (BBC). 2004-05-20.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3708309.stm. Retrieved 2007-07-12.

21. ^ "Army patrols Kano after clashes". News.BBC.com (BBC News). 2007-11-21.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7105790.stm. Retrieved 2007-11-21.

22. ^ Karofi, Hassan A; Halima Musa (2007-11-21). "ANPP Sweeps Kano LG Polls". Daily Trust online.

http://dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5253&Itemid=45.

Retrieved 2007-11-21.

23. ^ Shuaibu, Ibrahim (2007-11-21). "Kano Death Toll Rises to 25". Thisday online (Leaders &

Company). Archived from the original on 2007-12-01.

http://web.archive.org/web/20071201091113/http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=9

5856. Retrieved 2007-11-21.

24. ^ "Nigeria violence: Scores dead after Kano blasts". BBC News. 2012-01-21.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16663693. Retrieved 2012-01-22.

25. ^ Many Dead Following Bomb Blasts in Kano, Nigeria

26. ^ a b "Kano Climate Information - ClimateTemp.info, Making Sense of Average Monthly

Temperature & Weather Data with Detailed Climate Graphs That Portray Average Rainfall &

Sunshine Hours". Climatetemp.info. 2011-07-22.

http://www.climatetemp.info/nigeria/kano.html. Retrieved 2012-04-13.

27. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Cano, Nigeria". Weatherbase. 2011.

http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=650460&refer=wikipedia. Retrieved

on November 24, 2011.

28. ^ "Contact Us." Kabo Air. Retrieved on 19 October 2009.

29. ^ Barau, Aliyu Salisu (2007) The Great Attractions of Kano. Research and Documentation

Directorate, Government House Kano

30. ^ "Kano". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2007.

31. ^ "Nigerian city of Kano plans IT park". Panapress (Afriquenligne). 2007-11-04.

http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/nigerian-city-of-kano-plans-it-park-

2007110410666/. Retrieved 2007-11-04.

32. ^ PROF. ABDU SALIHI, FNSE (11TH - 12 May 2009). "Hydropower Development at Tiga and

Challawa Gorge Dams, Kano State, Nigeria". International Network on Small Hydro Power (IN-

SHP).

http://www.inshp.org/THE%205th%20HYDRO%20POWER%20FOR%20TODAY%20CONFERENCE/

Presentations/Nigeria/Hydropower%20Development%20At%20Tiga%20And%20Challawa%20Go

rge%20Dams.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-02.

33. ^ "Contact Us." Kabo Air. Retrieved on 27 November 2010. "HEAD OFFICE 67/73 Ashton Rd

P.O.Box 1850 Kano State Nigeria"