# Kaduna State

Kaduna State is a state in North West Nigeria.

## Cities

* 10.5230567.4402781 Kaduna — capital of the state
* 9.8726367.9550892 Kachia
* 9.5833338.29253 Kafanchan — economic capital of Southern Kaduna, beautiful waterfall, railway graveyard
* 9.6077788.3905564 Kagoro — known for its mountainous scenery and cultural events such as the Afan Festival
* 10.32387.68355 Kajuru
* 10.3970457.7158346 Kasuwa Magani
* 9.758.3833337 Samaru Kataf — a junction town connecting Kagoro to the south, Zonkwa to the northwest and Zangon Kataf town to the northeast
* 9.7845978.2839498 Zangon Kataf — seat of the chief of the Atyap people, and site of the Ayet Atyap annual cultural festival
* 11.0666677.79 Zaria
* 9.78678.284210 Zonkwa

## Other destinations

* 10.80366.30131 Kamuku National Park — protects 1,120 km² (430 sq mi) of typical Sudanian Savanna ecology.

## Understand

Kaduna State is populated by more than 63 ethnic groups. The Hausa and Fulani are the dominant ethnic groups. The main religions in Kaduna State are Christianity and Islam. Some minority ethnic groups practice traditional worshiping, mostly in the southern area of the state.
Kaduna State is nicknamed the Centre of Learning, owing to the presence of numerous educational institutions of importance within the state such as Ahmadu Bello University.
The state economy is dependent on agriculture, especially cotton and groundnut production.
The state is located at the northern part of Nigeria's high plains. The vegetation cover is Sudan Savannah type, characterized by scattered short trees, shrubs and grasses. The Kaduna River, a tributary of River Niger, flows through the state. Many communities are prone to seasonal flooding, during the rainy season.

## Get in
### By plane

* 10.6958337.321 Kaduna International Airport (KAD) (22 km (14 mi) northwest of the city). Frequent daily flights from Lagos (1 hr 15 min) on Aero Nigeria, and Dana Airlines. (updated May 2021)

### By car

Roads to Kaduna from Abuja and Kano are good. From Abuja the journey takes 2½ hours by car.

### By train

Kaduna is an important junction on Nigeria's Cape gauge railway network. At Kaduna, a branch line connects the Lagos–Nguru Railway to the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Railway via Kafanchan.
Kaduna is also on the route of the planned Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway, which has been completed between the national capital of Abuja and Kaduna. Trains for Abuja depart from the Rigasa Railway Station in Kaduna.

## See

Kajuru Castle, south east of Kaduna city, is as an African version of the Bavarian Castle in a very grand 19th-century Romanesque revival style.
The National Museum in Kaduna City has archaeological and ethnographic exhibitions. Lugard Hall, Zaria walls and gates and Nok settlements are also important sites. The palace of empire of Zazzau is one of the oldest traditional buildings in Kaduna state.
Matsiriga Waterfalls in Kafanchan near Kagoro are 30-m falls surrounded by outstanding natural beauty.

## Do

The Afan National Festival is a celebration on every 1 January, in Kagoro. The festival has assumed an international standard with the sons and daughters of Agworok land coming together to discuss issues that required their attention and to show their extreme cultural heritage.
The Kalankuwa Cultural Festival is a cultural festival that is celebrated in northern part of the state. It is a celebration to give thanks for good farm crops and to celebrate the season. It is celebrated in November/December. Young men and women come together in a peaceful manner to entertain themselves. It is celebrated in Bomo Village, Samara, in Sabon Gari local government area.

## Stay safe

Kaduna State has been the site of violent ethnic and religious conflict, with the 2002 Miss World riots in the state capital over purported blasphemy leading to around 250 deaths and the loss of homes for around 30,000 people. On 11 March 2021, 30 students were kidnapped when gunmen attacked the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization. On 20 April 2021, in another bloody raid by bandits on the students and staff of the Greenfield University kidnapped 23 students and killed 5 of them..

## Cope

* 11.03337.083241 Dogon Dawa Health Centre, Magaji Gari, Dogon Dawa. A public Health care center (updated Oct 2024)

## Go next

* Kano State
* Katsina State
* Abuja