My State Katsina

Katsina is a city, formerly a City-State, in Northn Nigeria, and is the capital of Katsina State. Katsina is located some 160 miles East of the city of Sokoto, and 84 miles Northwest of Kano, close to the border with Niger at approximately 12°59′N 7°36′E / 12.983°N 7.6°E / 12.983; 7.6. As of 2007, Katsina's estimated population was 459,022^. The city is the centre of an agricultural region producing groundnuts, cotton, hides, millet and guinea corn, and also has mills for producing peanut oil and steel. The city is largely Muslim and the population of the city is mainly from the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups. The current Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua is a native of Katsina.




Surrounded by city walls 13 miles (21 km) in length, Katsina is believed to have been founded circa 1100^. In pre-Islamic times Katsina's semi-divine ruler was known as the Sarki, who faced a summary death-sentence if found to be ruling incompetently. From the 17th to the 18th century, Katsina was the commercial heart of Hausaland and became the largest of the seven Hausa city-states. Katsina was conquered by the Fulani during the Fulani War in 1807, becoming subsidiary to nearby Kano. In 1903 the Emir (Abubakar dan Ibrahim) accepted British rule, which lasted until Nigerian independence from Britain in 1960. Modern day Katsina has many information technology companies, providing internet access to the people of Katsina.
The city's history of western education dates back to the early 1950s when the first middle school in the whole of northern Nigeria was established. There are now several institutions of higher learning including two universities: Umaru Musa Yar'adu University and the private Katsina University. The city of Katsina is also home to a famous 18th century mosque featuring the Gobarau Minaret, a 50 foot tower made from mud and palm branches