Farin Ruwa Falls is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

found in the

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

region of

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 ...

. It is among the highest waterfalls in Nigeria. It is significant among Africa's falls when the total height covered by the waterfall is considered. The source of Farin Ruwa falls is found on the

Nasarawa State Nasarawa State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the north by Kaduna State, to the south by the states of Kogi and Benue, and to the west by the Federal Capital Terri ...

, from whence it gushes down over the edge of the

Nasarawa Nasarawa is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Nasarawa, located at 8°32'N 7°42'E, with a population of 30,949 (as of 2016). The local government area has an area of 5,704 km and a populat ...

. During its descent from the Jos Plateau, the water drops a total height of about . This drop is higher compared to the more popular

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animal ...

, which drops a height of around during its descent.

Location

Farin Ruwa falls is found in the Farin Ruwa Development Area, under Wamba

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. The falls is found along the boundary of

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

and

, under the

Bokkos Bokkos is a Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Bokkos at . It has an area of 1,682 km and a population of 178,454 at the 2006 census. Ron languages are the indigenous languages spoken in Bok ...

and Wamba Local Government Areas of the two states. The falls has its source on the Jos plateau, in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. The falls was discovered by the then

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

rulers of Nigeria in the 1950s. A catering Rest House was established in MASSANGE village close to the falls in order to exploit it commercially. To protect its rich heritage, the colonial administration gazetted it and named it MAYES Forest Reserve. However, despite this early development, Farin Ruwa was consigned to the background until the creation of Nasarawa State in 1996. The waterfall is about 120 kilometres from

Lafia Lafia is a town in North Central Nigeria. It is the capital city of Nasarawa State and has a population of 330,712 inhabitants according to the 2006 census results. It is the largest town in Nasarawa state. History Lafia, also known as Lafian b ...

, the Nasarawa state capital, and 30 kilometres from Wamba town.Is also 192.6 km (almost 3hrs 45mins) from Abuja the capital city of Nigeria via Keffi-Akwanga Nasarawa State.

The name Farin Ruwa

''Farin Ruwa'' is a

Hausa language Hausa (; /; Ajami: ) is a Chadic language spoken by the Hausa people in the northern half of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin and Togo, and the southern half of Niger, Chad and Sudan, with significant minorities in Ivory Coast. Hausa is a member ...

word meaning 'white water'. Farin Ruwa is a description of the nature of the falls by the local inhabitants of the Farin Ruwa area. The height covered during the descent of the falls is very great, so that the descending water crashes during its way down the Jos plateau escarpment. The falls gradually turns

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

in colour as a result of the height covered by the falls during its descent. The falls, as a result of its white colour, appears in the distance to the inhabitants of the Farin Ruwa area like white smoke on the mountains. This white nature of the falls earned it the name Farin Ruwa from the inhabitants.

Environment and climate

The mountainous nature of the region surrounding the Farin Ruwa falls induces heavy rainfall from clouds passing over the region during the rainy season from March to November. As a result, there is an increase in the volume of water of the falls crashing from the mountains during the rainy season. The

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

around the falls are the 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. ...

. There is a drop in the volume of water of the falls during the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

, from December to March. But it is for a short while, as the falls recovers its water volume again during the rainy season.

Poor tourism facilities

Poor harnessing and management has resulted in the low level of tourism activities around the waterfall and other tourist sites in Nasarawa State. But plans are on to develop the full potentials of the falls.

References

{{coord, 9, 8, 53, N, 8, 45, 27, E, display=title Waterfalls of Nigeria Nasarawa State Tourist attractions in Nasarawa State

Location

The name Farin Ruwa

Environment and climate

Poor tourism facilities

See also

References