Abuja

Abuja, city in central Nigeria, capital of the country, located in the Federal Capital Territory. Abuja officially replaced Lagos as the capital in December 1991, after 15 years of planning and construction. The city is located in a scenic valley of rolling grasslands in a relatively undeveloped, ethnically neutral area. Thus, planners hoped to create a national city where none of Nigeria's social and religious groups would be dominant. A large hill known as Aso Rock provides the backdrop for the city’s government district, which is laid out along three axes representing the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Government agencies began moving into the new capital in the early 1980s, as residential neighborhoods were being developed in outlying areas. The University of Abuja was founded in 1988. Abuja has an international airport and is linked to other cities in Nigeria by a network of highways. Population 403,000 (1999 estimate).