Nigeria

Abuja is the capital of Nigeria. The government moved the capital from coastal, crowded Lagos to Abuja in 1991 to achieve a more central, neutral location among Nigeria’s diverse regions and to relieve congestion. Abuja is a planned city within the Federal Capital Territory, designed for government institutions and better infrastructure. Helpful context: Lagos remains Nigeria’s largest city and economic hub; Port Harcourt is an oil-industry center in the Niger Delta; Ibadan is a historic southwestern city. Memory tip: Nigeria shifted “from sea to center”—Lagos (on the lagoon) to Abuja (in the middle). Also think “A-BUja = A BUilt capital,” since it was purpose-built to symbolize national unity.