Geopolitical zone
North West
The most populous zone, the heartland of Hausa city states and the Sokoto Caliphate.
7 states · Last verified 13 September 2026
The North West is the most populous of Nigeria's six zones and the core of Hausaland. Its cities — Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi — were walled trading states centuries before colonial rule, sitting at the southern end of trans-Saharan routes that carried leather, cloth, kola and salt.
The Sokoto Caliphate, founded after Usman dan Fodio's jihad of 1804, unified much of the region under a single Islamic administration and left behind an emirate system that still carries real social authority. Hausa is the everyday language and a lingua franca far beyond the zone; Fulani pastoral and settled communities are woven throughout, alongside Zarma, Kambari and the largely non-Muslim groups of southern Kaduna.
Agriculture dominates the economy — groundnuts, cotton, millet, sorghum, onions and one of the largest cattle populations in West Africa — with Kano remaining the commercial hub of northern Nigeria.
What defines the zone
- Most populous geopolitical zone
- Heartland of the Hausa city states
- Seat of the Sokoto Caliphate
- Kano as the commercial centre of northern Nigeria
- Sudan savannah and sahel agriculture
States in North West
Jigawa
Dutse
The New World
North West27 LGAsKaduna
Kaduna
Centre of Learning
North West23 LGAsKano
Kano
Centre of Commerce
North West44 LGAsKatsina
Katsina
Home of Hospitality
North West34 LGAsKebbi
Birnin Kebbi
Land of Equity
North West21 LGAsSokoto
Sokoto
Seat of the Caliphate
North West23 LGAsZamfara
Gusau
Farming is Our Pride
North West14 LGAs
Peoples of the zone
Languages recorded here
Atyap · Fulfulde · Gbagyi · Hausa · Kambari · Zarma
Food from this zone
- protein
Dambu Nama
Beef that is boiled until tender, then shredded into fine fibres and fried with oil, spices and sometimes a little flour or potash until dry and fluffy. It has a soft, cotton-like texture and a savoury, well-spiced taste.
- protein
Kilishi
Thin sheets of beef that are coated in a spiced peanut paste and sun-dried, then lightly grilled, producing a dry, chewy jerky-like snack with a strong peanut and pepper flavour.
- snack
Masa
A small, round, spongy cake made from a fermented batter of rice or a rice-and-millet mix, cooked in a special moulded pan until golden on the outside and soft within. It has a mild, slightly sour flavour from fermentation and a texture similar to a rice pancake.
- soup
Miyan Kuka
Miyan Kuka is a northern Nigerian soup made from powdered dried baobab leaves, giving it a distinctive slightly sour taste and a smooth, slightly draw-like texture similar to okra. It is usually cooked with meat or dried fish, ground spices and a base of stock, and is a familiar everyday soup across Hausa households.
- soup
Miyan Taushe
Miyan Taushe is a Hausa pumpkin soup made using the flesh of a squash-like pumpkin (kabewa) cooked down with ground melon or groundnut, vegetables and often dried fish or meat. It has a thick, mildly sweet base from the pumpkin and is a common everyday soup in northern Nigerian homes.
- swallow
Tuwo Masara
A firm, pale-yellow swallow made from maize flour cooked and worked into a smooth, dense mass. It has a slightly grainy texture compared with rice tuwo and a subtle maize flavour, and is served warm alongside soup.
Festivals in this zone
The other zones
- Geopolitical zone
North Central
Nigeria's middle belt, where the savannah meets the forest and no single ethnic group dominates.
- Geopolitical zone
North East
Sahel and savannah country, historic seat of the Kanem-Borno empire and home to the Mandara mountains.
- Geopolitical zone
South East
The Igbo heartland: dense settlement, market towns and a strong tradition of enterprise.
- Geopolitical zone
South South
The Niger Delta: creeks, mangrove, oil and the most ethnically fragmented coastline in the country.
- Geopolitical zone
South West
Yorubaland: old kingdoms, dense cities and the country's largest urban economy.
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