Sokoto State
Sokoto State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country on the national border with the Republic of the Niger. Its capital and largest city is the city of Sokoto. Sokoto is located near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million. Being the seat of the former Sokoto Caliphate, the city is predominantly Muslim and an important seat of Islamic learning in Nigeria. The Sultan who heads the caliphate is effectively the spiritual  leader of Nigerian Muslims. Etymology. The name "Sokoto" (which is the modern/anglicised version of the local name, "Sakkwato") is of Arabic origin, representing suk, "market". It is also known as "Sakkwato, Birnin Shaihu da Bello" or "Sokoto, Capital of Shaihu and Bello"). History. Since its creation as a state in 1976 (from the bifurcation of the erstwhile North-Western State (Map) into Sokoto and Niger States, Sokoto state has been ruled by governors, most ex-military officers, who succeeded each another at short intervals. Sokoto, as a region, knows a longer history. During the reign of the Fulani Empire  in the 19th century Sokoto was an important Fula state, in addition to being a city, of what was then west central Nigeria. From ca. 1900, with the British take-over, Sokoto, which then encompassed the entire north-west corner of Nigeria, became a province of the British protectorate of Nigeria. Not long after Gando was added as a sub-province. This double province then covered an area of with an estimated population over 500,000. It included the then Zamfara and Argungun, or Kebbi, kingdoms. The following excerpt from the 1911 "Encyclopædia Britannica" offers some information from the perspective of  the occupying British power: In 1967, not long after Nigeria's independence from the British, the region became known as the Northwestern State. This territory was, in 1976, split into Sokoto State and Niger State. Later on, Kebbi State (1991) and Zamfara State (1996) split off from Sokoto State. Demographics. Sokoto State is mainly populated by Fulani people. Most Sokoto State residents are Sunni Muslims, with a Shia minority; violence between the two groups is uncommon. Over 80% of people living in the state practice agriculture. Climate. Sokoto State is in the dry Sahel, surrounded by sandy savannah and isolated  hills. With an annual average temperature of , Sokoto is, on the whole, a very hot area. However, maximum daytime temperatures are for most of the year generally under and the dryness makes the heat bearable. The warmest months are February to April when daytime temperatures can exceed . The rainy season is from June to October during which showers are a daily occurrence. The showers rarely last long and are a far cry from the regular torrential rain known in wet tropical regions. From late October to February, during the "cold season", the climate is dominated by the Harmattan wind blowing  Sahara dust over the land. The dust dims the sunlight thereby lowering temperatures significantly and also leading to the inconvenience of dust everywhere in houses. The region's lifeline for growing crops is the floodplains of the Sokoto-Rima river system (see Sokoto River), which are covered with rich alluvial soil. For the rest, the general dryness of the region allows for few crops, millet perhaps being the most abundant, complemented by rice, corn, other cereals and beans. Apart from tomatoes few vegetables grow in the region. Local Government Areas. Sokoto State consists of twenty-three (23) Local Government Areas . They are: Education. Tertiary institutions in Sokoto State are: