Taraba State

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Taraba State State nickname: Nature's Gift to the Nation
Location
Statistics
Governor (List)	Jolly Nyame (PDP)
Date Created	27 August 1991
Capital	Jalingo
Area	54,473 km² Ranked 3rd
Population 1991 Census 2005 estimate	Ranked 30th 1,480,590 2,688,944
ISO 3166-2	NG-TA

Taraba is a state of Nigeria, named after the Taraba River which traverses the southern part of the state. Taraba's capital is Jalingo. The state was created out of the former Gongola State on 27th August 1991, by the Military Government of General Ibrahim Babangida. Taraba state was bounded in the West by Plateau State and Benue states and on the eastern border by the Republic of Cameroon. Taraba has sixteen local governments, which are governed by elected chairmen. These include:

• Ardo Kola
• Bali
• Donga
• Gashaka
• Gassol
• Ibi
• Jalingo
• Karin Lamido
• Kurmi
• Lau
• Sardauna
• Takum
• Ussa
• Wukari
• Yoro
• Zing

Taraba State lies largely within the middle of Nigeria and consists of undulating landscape dotted with a few mountainous features. These includes the scenic and prominent Mambilla Plateau. The state lies largely within the tropical zone and has a vegetation of low forest in the southern part and grassland in the northern part. The Mambilla with an altitude of 1,800 meters (6000 ft) above sea level has a temperate climate all year round.

Rivers Benue, Donga, Taraba and Ibi are the main rivers and rise from the Cameroon mountains, straining almost the entire length of the state in the North and South direction to link up with the River Niger. The major occupation of the people of Taraba State is agriculture. Cash crops produced in the state include coffee, tea, groundnuts and cotton. Crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, and yam are also produced in commercial quantity. In addition, cattle, sheep and goats are reared in large numbers, especially on the Manbilla Plateau, and along the Benue and Taraba valleys. Similarly, the people undertake other livestock production activities like poultry production, rabbit breeding and pig farming in fairly large scale. Communities living on the banks of River Benue, River Taraba, River Donga and Ibi engage in fishing all year round. Other occupational activities such as pottery, cloth-weaving, dyeing, mat-making, carving, embroidery and blacksmithing are also carried out in various parts of the State.

Taraba State is richly endowed with potentials for the development of tourism, and mineral resources and that include the recently discovering of uranium in huge quantities in the state. In recognition of this, the government has made concerted efforts to improve areas of tourist attractions like Mambilla Tourist Center, Gumpti Park and game reserve in Gashaka, the Nwunyu Fishing festival in Ibi which usually holds in April of each year where activities such as canoe racing, swimming competition and cultural dances were held. Also effot is made to attract foreign investors to go and invest in the natural resources that abound in the state. Other festivals are Purma of the Chamba in Donga, Takum and Bali, the Puje of Jukuns, Kuchecheb of Kutebs in Takum and Ussa, Kati of the Mambilla and host of others. Taraba, "Nature's gift to the nation" as the state is call is rich and have these among many ethnic groups, including Chamba, Mumuyes, Mambilas, Wurkums, Fulanis, Jukun, and Jenjo Kuteb, Ichen, Ndoro among others.

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