Northern Nigeria

Jihar Arewa Ta Tarayyar Jumhuriyar Najeriya Northern Nigeria
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Aiki da Ibada "Work and Worship"
Anthem: National Anthem of Northern Nigeria
Capital	Lokoja (1897–1903) Zungeru (1903–1923) Kaduna (1923–1966)
Largest city	Kano
Official languages	English
Major languages	List Fulani Kanuri Igala Igbira Nupe Gwari Hausa Birom Margi Jukun Katab
Government	Constitutional Monarchy (1897–1963) Federation (1863–Date)
• Governors	Sir Kashim Ibrahim
• Premier of Northern Nigeria	Sir Ahmadu Bello
Legislature	Assembly of Northern Nigeria
• Upper house	Senate of Northern Nigeria House of Chiefs
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Proclamation of Protectorate	1897
• Independence	15 March 1953
• Republic declared	1 October 1963
Population
• Estimate	90,000,000

Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, it had independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, which voted to become a Province within Northern Nigeria.

The Nok culture, an ancient culture dominated most of what is now Northern Nigeria in pre historic times, its legacy in the form of terracotta statues and megaliths have been discovered in Sokoto, Kano, Birinin Kudu, Nok and Zaria. The Kwatarkwashi culture, a variant of the Nok culture centred mostly around Zamfara in Sokoto Province is thought by some to be the same or an offshoot of the Nok.

The Fourteen Kingdoms unified the diverse lore and heritage of Northern Nigeria into a cohesive ethno-historical system. Seven of these Kingdoms developed from the Kabara legacy of the Hausa people. In the 9th century as vibrant trading centers competing with Kanem-Bornu and Mali slowly developed in the Central Sudan, a set Kingdoms merged dominating the great savannah plains of Hausaland, their primary exports were leather, gold, cloth, salt, kola nuts, animal hides, and henna. The Seven Hausa states included:

The growth and conquest of the Hausa Bakwai resulted in the founding of additional states with rulers tracing their lineage to a concubine of the Hausa founding father, Bayajidda. Thus they are called the 'Banza Bakwai meaning Bastard Seven. The Banza Bakwai adopted many of the customs and institutions of the Hausa Bakwai but were considered unsanctioned or copy-cat kingdoms by non-Hausa people. These states include:

Between 500 CE and 700 CE Hausa people, who are thought to have slowly moved from Nubia and mixing in with the local Northern and Middle Belt population, established a number of strong states in what is now Northern Nigeria and Eastern Niger. With the decline of the Nok and Sokoto, who had previously controlled Central and Northern Nigeria between 800 BCE and 200 CE, the Hausa were able to emerge as the new power in the region. They are closely linked with the Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu (Lake Chad), the Birom, Gwari, Nupe and Jukun. The Hausa aristocracy, under influence from the Mali Empire adopted Islam in the 11th century CE. By the 12th century CE the Hausa were becoming one of Africa's major powers. The architecture of the Hausa is perhaps one of the least known but most beautiful of the medieval age. Many of their early mosques and palaces are bright and colourful and often include intricate engraving or elaborate symbols designed into the facade. By 1500 CE the Hausa utilized a modified Arabic script known as Ajami to record their own language; the Hausa compiled several written histories, the most popular being the Kano Chronicle.