Bauchi (earlier Yakoba) is a city in northeast

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, the Administrative center of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. It is located on the northern edge of the

Jos Plateau The Jos Plateau is a plateau located near the centre of Nigeria. The plateau has given its name to the Plateau State in which it is found and is named for the state's capital, Jos. The plateau is home to people of diverse cultures and languages. ...

, at an elevation of 616 m. The Local Government Area covers an area of 3,687 km² and had a population of 493,810 in 2006. Bauchi City is among the twenty Local Government Areas of Bauchi state: Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Dass, Toro, Bogoro, Ningi,

Warji Warji is a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Warji. It has an area of 625 km and a population of 114,720 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in various ...

, Ganjuwa,

Kirfi Kirfi is a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria, bordering Gombe State in the east. Its headquarters are in the town of Kirfi (or Kirfin Kasa). The northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude passes through the LGA. It has an a ...

Alkaleri Alkaleri is a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Alkaleri (or Alkalere) on the A345 highway in the north of the area at. The northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude passes through the LG ...

, Darazo, Misau, Giade, Shira, Jamaare, Katagum, Itas/Gadau,

Zaki Zaki (Arabic زكي ) is an Arabic male name (with female form Zakiya) and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Zaki al-Arsuzi (1899–1998), Syrian politician *Zaki Tun Azmi (born 1945), Malaysian judge * Zaki Badawi (192 ...

, Gamawa and Damban.

History

The city was founded by Yaqub ibn Dadi, the only non- Fulani flag-bearer of the

Sokoto Empire The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...

. The name was derived from a hunter called Baushe, who advised Yaqub to build his city west of the Warinje mountain. In return Yaqub promised to name his city after the hunter. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is buried in the city, while the

Yankari National Park Yankari Game Reserve is a large wildlife park and former National Park located in the south-central part of Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria. It covers an area of about and is home to several natural warm water springs, as well as a wide v ...

is 110 km from the state capital. The city lies on the Port Harcourt –

Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border form ...

railway line. The Bauchi State Library Board was established in 1976. In July 2009, attacks in Bauchi by

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

following the arrest of some of its members resulted in over 50 people killed and over 100 arrested. After the

2014 Chibok kidnapping On the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Pri ...

, over 200 students were transferred to the Federal Government Girls College, Bauchi. The majority were from Federal Government Girls’ College, Potiskum, Yobe State.

Transport

Bauchi was originally served by a narrow gauge

light railway A light railway is a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more steep gradients and tight curves to reduce civil engineering costs. These lighter standards allow ...

, but this was later converted to the normal gauge of . Up until August, 2014, Bauchi was served by

Bauchi Airport Bauchi Airport is an airport serving Bauchi in Nigeria. The former NE/SW runway is now used as a taxiway, and carries markings. Scheduled airline service has been moved to the newer sir abubakar tafawa balewa airport, the airport was named after ...

, located in-town. Scheduled airline service was then transferred to the newly constructed Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, north of Bauchi, near the village of Durum.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Bauchi has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

, abbreviated "Aw" on climate maps.

Languages

* Fulani * Gera * Jarawa * Gere * Sayawa (Zaar) *

Kir-Balar language Kir-Balar (also known as Kir, Kirr) is a pair of closely related Afro-Asiatic languages spoken in Kir Bengbet and Kir Bajang’le, villages, Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State, Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, ...

, Kir Bengbet and Kir Bajang’le villages *

Zumbun language Zumbun (also rendered ''Jimbin, Jimbinawa'') is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria, in Jimbim settlement, Darazo Darazo is a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Darazo. M ...

, Darazo LGA, Jimbim settlement *

Karai-Karai Karai-Karai (Francophonic spelling: Karekare, Kerrikerri, Ajami: كاراي-كاراي) is a language spoken in West Africa, most prominently North eastern Nigeria. The number of speakers of Karai-Karai is estimated between 1,500,000 to 1,800,00 ...

* Boyawa (Ayah) Bogoro LGA.

Notable people

John Egbunu John Egbunu (born October 31, 1994) is a Nigerian-born American basketball player for Gaziantep Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Standing 6'10" (2.08 m), Egbunu plays the center position. In his first professional season, he played ...

(born 1994), Nigerian-born American basketball player for

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

References