Bauchi

Bauchi, state, northeastern Nigeria. Before 1976 it was a province in former North-Eastern state. Bauchi is bounded by the states of Jigawa and Kano on the northwest; Kaduna on the west; Plateau, Taraba, and Gombe on the south; and Yobe on the east. The highlands in the southwestern part of the state are an extension of the Jos Plateau. The Gongola River, rising in the Jos Plateau, flows to the northeast, then turns southward (loosely tracing the southern half of the state’s eastern boundary) to merge with the Benue River in Adamawa state. Bauchi state is inhabited by a large number of ethnic groups, including the Tangale, Waja (Wajawa), Fulani, and Hausa. The state also contains a number of traditional Muslim emirates. According to tradition, it was named for a hunter known as Baushe, who settled in the region before the arrival of Yakubu, the first traditional ruler of Bauchi emirate (founded 1800–10).

Agriculture dominates the economy, and millet, sorghum, corn (maize), yams, rice, cassava (manioc), tomatoes, and vegetables are produced. Bauchi is one of the country’s main cotton-producing states; coffee and peanuts (groundnuts) are the other cash crops. Cattle, goats, and sheep are raised. From the mid-1970s irrigation schemes have greatly increased production. Alluvial tin and columbite mining provide minerals for export; cassiterite, coal, limestone, iron ore, antimony, and marble are abundant mineral resources. Cotton weaving and dyeing, tanning, and blacksmithing are traditional activities. The state’s industries include meat-products processing and canning, peanut processing, vegetable-oil milling, and cotton ginning. There is also an assembly plant for commercial vehicles and trucks and a cement factory. Bauchi town, the state capital, is an important collecting and shipping centre on the railway from Maiduguri to Kafanchan and is also a major road hub in the state. Yankari National Park (q.v.), with a hot spring at Wikki, is a major tourist attraction. Area 17,698 square miles (45,837 square km). Pop. (2006) 4,676,465.