Location | History | Agriculture | Mineral | Education | Tourism | People | Local Government Areas | Links | Contact | Capital: Sokoto Area: 25,973 km˛ square Population: 4,284,984 (1997 FOS est.) Language: Hausa  Governor: Alhaji (Dr.) Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko - (PDP) ISO 3166-2: NG-SO Date Created: 3 February 1976 Population Rank: Ranked 14th Sokoto State is a state in north-western Nigeria. Its capital is Sokoto. A state (North-Western) based in Sokoto was established in 1967. This covered what is now Niger State, which was split off in 1976, Kebbi State (split off in 1991), and Zamfara State, which was split off in 1996.   Location Sokoto State lies to the north-west of Nigeria and shares its borders with Niger Republic to the North, Katsina State to the East, Niger State to the South-East, Kwara State to the South and Benin Republic to the West.   Top History Even before the arrival of the Fulani, the state concept had evolved in Hausa land. During this process some of the Hausa communities scattered over a wide area, had regrouped themselves into major units that are referred to as kingdoms. Some of the emergent kingdoms include Kebbi, Zamfara and Gobir, all forming part of Sokoto State. For purposes of vital identification, the people in each kingdom had distinct names by which they are referred to, e.g. people in Kebbi kingdom were known as Kabawa. Not only that, at a later stage people in each kingdom started to wear distinguishable tribal marks which were unique to them. Fulani rule under the leadership of Usman Dan Fodio started with the Jihad in the early years of the 19th Century. By 1809 most of Hausa kingdoms were toppled and replaced with Islamic Governments under a unified administration whose headquaters was at Sokoto. This continued up to the arrival of the British.   Top Agriculture Sokoto State is essentially an agricultural state with traditional mode of production predominating and more than 90 percent of the population engaged in subsistence farming. The main crops produced in the State are millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, beans, wheat, cassava, potatoes, groundnut, cotton, sugar cane, and tobacco. Fruits and vegetables grown in the State include oranges, mangoes, cashew, bananas, lettuce, spinach, okra, cabbage, pawpaw and guava Top Mineral Resources   Top Education Sokoto State is a veritable centre of Islamic learning and jurisprudence. However, realizing that both islamic and western education are crucial ingredients for socioeconomic development, successive governments in the state strive for the attainment of high standard in both systems of education. Education therefore ranks high on the priority scale of the state. The state is serviced by a university, the Usman Dan Fodio University which assists in the training of high level manpower both for the state and the country as a whole. Top Tourism Tomb of Usman Dan Fodio, Monument Sokoto. * Sultan's Palace, Sokoto Cultural * Sokoto Museum Monument Top People Although there were so people who could be regarded as the autochthonous inhabitants, a large number of the people of the state migrated from other parts of Africa, like the Ahia, Mali, and the areas of the Senegal River. The major groups in the state are the Hausa, the Fulani and the Dakarkari.   Top Local Government Areas Binji, Bodinga, Dange-shnsi, Gada, Goronyo, Gudu, Gawabawa, Illela, Isa, Kware, kebbe, Rabah, Sabon birni, Shagari, Silame, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Tambuwal, Tqngaza, Tureta, Wamako, Wurno, Yabo. Top Links   www.sokoto-state.com Schools on The Web: Federal Government Girls' College, Gusau, Sokoto State Federal Government College, Sokoto State Top Contact State Liason Office: 17, Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Tel: 01-613020   Top