Kano, Nigeria Population

Kano is the capital city of the Kano State of Nigeria. It has a population of just over 4 million people and is located on the Jakara River. Kano is the second-largest city in Nigeria and is considered the nerve center of Northern Nigeria. Kano is the economic center of the area and is the center location for the sale of groundnuts in the country. It is home to Bayero University, the first university in Kano State, and the Kano International Airport.

Initially, the city covered 137 square kilometers and was comprised of 44 local government areas (known as LGAs). The city now covers two additional LGAs and is now a total of 499 square kilometers with a population density of 550 people per square kilometer.

Poverty in Kano

Poverty is an endemic problem in the country of Nigeria, and the city of Kano is no different. The city is in a state that suggests urgent intervention would be required to remedy the situation. Currently, almost 90% of all of Kano’s residents fall below the poverty line, with the worst stricken in Kano North showing that 98% of the population is below the poverty line. In Kano South, 97% of households are below the poverty line, and in Kano Central there are 86% of the households below the poverty line.

As in many places struck by severe poverty, Kano also sees high rates of infant mortality and other avoidable causes of death. A lack of investment in healthcare infrastructure and education (especially for girls) continues to contribute to the city’s poverty rates.

The Hausa people in Kano

The Hausa people are the principal inhabitants of Kano. A diverse but culturally homogenous people, the Hausa people are the largest ethnic group in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Hausa language is also the most widely spoken language in Kano. Kano is part of an area known as Hausaland, a group of small, independent city-states in northern central Africa.

Religion in Kano

Kano is considered one of the ancient centers of Islamic learning. First introduced in the 1340s by Malinke scholars, Kano has since become a center of Nigeria’s Islamic culture. The city functions under Islamic law where blasphemy is punishable by death. These laws were adopted 20 years by the country’s northern states and they have seen several artists or critics of extremist Islam sentenced to death for sharing their views. While Sharia law is valid throughout the state, Christians are also able to practice freely in Kano and the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Kano has its seat in the state.

Most women in Kano wear the Hijab and it is relatively rare to see a woman with her hair uncovered. The city also has ‘Hisbah’ or sharia police who police acts considered immoral by Sharia law, including drinking alcohol, inappropriate contact between a male and female, blasphemy, and more. Citizens who are Christian are exempt from these laws.

An industrial centre

Kano’s economy is the second-largest industrial center after Lagos State and the largest in Northern Nigeria and its economy focuses on textiles, footwear, cosmetics, plastics, tanning, grains, and other industries.

Commercial and subsistence agriculture is practiced in the city’s outlying districts with some of the most commonly grown crops being millet, cowpeas, maize, sorghum and rice for local consumption. Groundnuts and cotton are also grown in the area in high quantities for export and industrial purposes.

A fast growing population

Like many locations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kano is experiencing a population boom. It is predicted that by 2035, the population will have almost doubled to 6.5 million people living in the city. Unfortunately, with the country’s current situation with poverty, this could prove catastrophic for the people of Kano if more investment in a healthy, educated younger population isn’t put into place.