All States in Nigeria That Share Boundaries With Other Countries

There are different African countries that share boundaries with Nigeria geographically which we covered extensively in our previous article. They are known as Nigeria’s neighbours and their borders are well defined to separate the territories of these countries so as to avoid territorial disputes.

Looking at the map of Africa above, you would notice that some states in Nigeria share boundaries with other countries in the continent and we shall list them below:

Kebbi State

Kebbi is a North-western state in Nigeria that shares its boundary with the Republic of Benin and Niger respectively.
capital at Birnin Kebbi. The state was created out of Sokoto State in 1991 and its capital is Birnin Kebbi with a total area of 36,800 km² in size. The 21 Local Government areas in Kebbi state has an estimated population count of 3,137,989 people which was collated during the 1991 census.

The inhabitants in this area are mostly Muslims whose religion is Islam. The state is mostly dominated by Hausa people, while you can find traces of Fulani, Bussawa, Lelna, Dakarkari, Kambari, Dukawa, Gungawa and Kamuku ethnic groups there. Over the years, farming and other agricultural practices has been the main occupation of those living in the rural areas of the state.

Sokoto State

Sokoto state also borders the Republic of Benin and is located north-west of Nigeria with an estimated population of over 6 million people. Mainly dominated by Hausa speaking tribe, the predominant religion practiced in this state is Islam. In fact, its capital, Sokoto city was the seat of the former Sokoto Caliphate, and home to the Sultan who is seen as the spiritual leader of all Muslims in the country.

Residents in this state are majorly Sunni Muslims, while the Shia followers are kind of in the minority. Due to the dry Sahel which is encompassed by sand in the Savannah, agriculture thrives in the state. Crops such as millet, rice, corn, cereals, beans, tomato and vegetables are said to thrive within Sokoto state.

Zamfara State

Zamfara is a state also located in north-western Nigeria and has an area of 38,418 square kilometres. Currently, it is bordered in the North by Niger republic. This state was carved out from Sokoto state by Gen. Sani Abacha in 1996 and the capital of Zamfara state is Gusau.

With a population of over 3.5 million persons using the 2006 census as a source, this state has 14 local government areas mostly dominated with both Hausa and Fulani peoples respectively. Islam still remains the principal religion of the state. Zamfara was the first state in Nigeria to introduce Sharia law and it is still practiced till date among their rules and regulations.

Katsina State

Katsina is a state in the North West geopolitical zone in Nigeria created from Kaduna state in 1987. Its capital is Katsina and the residents of this state are mostly Muslims who are either from the Hausa speaking or Fulani tribe. Notable figures like the Nigerian President, Mohammadu Buhari is from this state.

Jigawa State

Jigawa State is another Nigerian state that shares borders with The Republic of Niger and other northern states in the North-west region. This has helped the government in the state trade using the cross-border thereby establishing a Free trade zone within these communities.

With an estimated 3.8 million people living in Jigiwa, the state is mostly populated by Hausa and Fulani ethnic tribes, who can be found in all 27 local government areas within the state. Other ethnic groups are also present like Kanuri, Fulfude, etc. Islam constitutes about 98.9% of the population leaving 1.1% for indigenous Christians in the state.

Yobe State

Yobe was created on March 27, 1991 by the Babangida administration from the old Borno state. Its capital, Damaturu is the seat of authority in the state. Yobe state borders the following Nigerian states: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa. It also shares boundary with the Republic of Niger and Islam is its dominant religion

Borno State

Borno state shares its boundary with three African countries: Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The state was created in 1976 after an issue split up the North-Eastern State. It is Kanuri homeland in Nigeria.

Other states worthy of mention is Lagos state and Cross-rivers state respectively.