Gombe State

Gombe State (Fula: Leyddi Gommbe 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤺𞤮𞤥𞥆𞤦𞤫) is a state in northeastern Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Borno and Yobe, to the south by Taraba State, to the southeast by Adamawa State, and to the west by Bauchi State. Named for the city of Gombe, the state's capital and largest city, Gombe State was formed from a part of Bauchi State on October 1, 1996. The state is among the multilingual states in Nigeria. Of the 36 states in Nigeria, Gombe is the 21st largest in area and the 32nd most populous, with an estimated population of about 3.25 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is within the tropical West Sudanian savanna ecoregion. Important geographic features include the Gongola River, which flows through Gombe's north and east into Lake Dadin Kowa, and part of the Muri Mountains, a small range in the state's far south. Among the state's nature are a number of snake species including carpet viper, puff adder, and Egyptian cobra populations along with hippopotamus, Senegal parrot, and grey-headed kingfisher populations. Ethnically, the State is inhabited by various ethnic groups, primarily the Fulani people living in the north and center of the state along with the Bolewa, Kanuri, and Hausa people, while the state's diverse eastern and southern regions are populated by the Cham, Dadiya, Jara, Kamo, Pero, Tangale, Tera, and Waja people. In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Gombe State was split up between various states until the early 1800s, the Fulani jihad seized much of the area and formed the Gombe Emirate under the Sokoto Caliphate. In the 1910s, British expeditions occupied the Emirate and the surrounding areas, incorporating them into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. Originally, modern-day Gombe State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the North-Eastern State. After the North-Eastern State was split, Bauchi State was formed in 1976 alongside ten other states. Twenty years afterward, a group of LGAs in the Bauchi's west was broken off to form the new Gombe State. Economically, Gombe State is largely based around agriculture, mainly of sorghum, maize, groundnuts, millet, beans, rice and tomatoes. Other key industries are services, especially in the city of Gombe, and the livestock herding of camels, cattle, goats, and sheep. Gombe has the fourth lowest Human Development Index and second lowest GDP in the country. Gombe State's slogan is the Jewel In The Savannah. It was formed in October 1996 from part of the old Bauchi State by the Abacha military government.