Gamboru

Understand

Geographically, the state is divided between the semi-desert Sahelian savanna in the north and the West Sudanian savanna in the centre and south with a part of the montane Mandara Plateau in the southeast. In the far northeast of the state is the Nigerian portion of Lake Chad and the Lake Chad flooded savanna ecoregion; the lake is fed by the Yobe River which forms the state's border with Niger until it reaches the lakebed. In the centre of the state is part of the Chad Basin National Park, a large national park that contains populations of black crowned crane, spotted hyena, patas monkey, and roan antelope along with transient herds of some of Nigeria's last remaining African bush elephants. Borno State is inhabited by various ethnic groups, including the Dghwede, Glavda, Guduf, Laamang, Mafa, and Mandara in the central region; the Afade, Yedina (Buduma), and Kanembu in the extreme northeast; the Waja in the extreme south; and the Kyibaku, Kamwe, Kilba, and Margi groups in the south while the Kanuri and Shuwa Arabs live throughout the state's north and centre. Religiously, the vast majority of the state's population (~85%) are Muslim with smaller Christian and traditionalist minorities (especially in the south) at around 7% each.

Climate The climate of Borno state is characteristic of rainfall variability, with a strong latitudinal zone, which is drier in this northeastern state. The commencement of the rainy season in this northeast state is around June/July of every year, which is far behind the southeastern states. The trade wind, also regarded as the harmattan season is often experienced in the state between the months of December and February. There is a reduction in rainfall from 3,800 mm to below 650 mm in the state, hence it rains in the state between the range of 4 and 5 months annually.The state experiences high relative humidity annually. The hottest period in the state is in the month of May, with an average of 34 °C while the month of January is t

Getting there

By plane

Maiduguri International Airport (MIU IATA). The airport handles domestic flights from Lagos, the capital Abuja and Yola only for now. So if you are planning to get in from other parts of the country, you might need to consider any mode of getting into the state. (updated Mar 2019)

By bus Buses are the main form of land transport and ABC Transport amongst others offers overnight from Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and daytime buses from Kano and Jos. And of course, you can get into Borno State by coming in your personal car. You can drive from any state into Borno State by journeying through the national roads A3, which continues towards N'Djamena, and A4 passes by here.

See

Borno State Museum in Maiduguri. Sanda Kyarimi Park is a zoo in Borno State.

Buy

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, offers a variety of local markets where visitors can purchase traditional items. The Monday Market is the largest and most popular, offering everything from fresh produce to handmade crafts, traditional textiles, leather goods, and local spices. Shoppers can also find Kanuri hats, woven baskets, and locally made jewelry.

Go next

Bauchi State Adamawa State Gombe State Yobe State Jigawa State