Borno State is a state in North East Nigeria. It is the second-largest state in the area of the 36 states in the country, only behind Niger State which is the largest. In 2016, its population was estimated to be about 5.86 million.

Cities

• 1 Maiduguri — the capital of Borno State
• 2 Askira-Uba — home of the historically significant Askira-Uba Emir Palace
• 3 Biu — the town showcases a unique cultural identity of the Biu ethnic group
• 4 Chibok — near the Chibok Hills, known for stunning panoramic views and hiking opportunities
• 5 Dikwa — it has an important mosque
• 6 Gamboru Ngala
• 7 Jere — a largely rural area that surrounds Maiduguri on three sides
• 8 Mafa — a rural town with a strong focus on agriculture and traditional practices
• 9 Monguno — an important historical center, with a strong sense of community and tradition

Other destinations

• 1 Chad Basin National Park – a national park in northeastern Nigeria, in the Chad Basin, with a total area of about 2,258 km² in Borno State.

Understand

Geographically, the state is divided between the semi-desert Sahelian savanna in the north and the West Sudanian savanna in the centre and south with a part of the montane Mandara Plateau in the southeast. In the far northeast of the state is the Nigerian portion of Lake Chad and the Lake Chad flooded savanna ecoregion; the lake is fed by the Yobe River which forms the state's border with Niger until it reaches the lakebed. In the centre of the state is part of the Chad Basin National Park, a large national park that contains populations of black crowned crane, spotted hyena, patas monkey, and roan antelope along with transient herds of some of Nigeria's last remaining African bush elephants.

Borno State is inhabited by various ethnic groups, including the Dghwede, Glavda, Guduf, Laamang, Mafa, and Mandara in the central region; the Afade, Yedina (Buduma), and Kanembu in the extreme northeast; the Waja in the extreme south; and the Kyibaku, Kamwe, Kilba, and Margi groups in the south while the Kanuri and Shuwa Arabs live throughout the state's north and centre. Religiously, the vast majority of the state's population (~85%) are Muslim with smaller Christian and traditionalist minorities (especially in the south) at around 7% each.

Get in

By plane

• Maiduguri International Airport (MIU  ^IATA). The airport handles domestic flights from Lagos, the capital Abuja and Yola only for now. So if you are planning to get in from other parts of the country, you might need to consider any mode of getting into the state. (updated Mar 2019)

By bus

Buses are the main form of land transport and ABC Transport amongst others offers overnight from Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and daytime buses from Kano and Jos.

And of course, you can get into Borno State by coming in your personal car. You can drive from any state into Borno State by journeying through the national roads A3, which continues towards N'Djamena, and A4 passes by here.

See

Borno State Museum in Maiduguri.

Sanda Kyarimi Park is a zoo in Borno State.

Stay safe

There is a lot of unrest in Borno State due to the widespread terrorism activity, kidnapping, and general unrest in the state. It is not very advisable to travel to Borno State now (updated, December 2021) as you are not sure when unrest would start, and if you must travel, at least for now (December 2021) ensure you go by plane and confirm if there is no Curfew ongoing in the state at the time to prevent you getting into the state when there is insurgency or problem of any kind.

Go next

• Bauchi
• Yola
• Gombe