Gombe State

Gombe State
State
Nickname(s): Jewel in the Savannah
Location of Gombe State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 10°15′N 11°10′E / 10.250°N 11.167°E / 10.250; 11.167Coordinates: 10°15′N 11°10′E / 10.250°N 11.167°E / 10.250; 11.167
Country	Nigeria
Date created	1 October 1996
Capital	Gombe
Government
• Governor (List)	Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (PDP)
• Deputy Governor	Charles Iliya
Area
• Total	18,768 km2 (7,246 sq mi)
Area rank	21st of 36
Population (2006 census)1
• Total	2,353,000
• Rank	33rd of 36
• Density	130/km2 (320/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
• Year	2007
• Total	$2.50 billion[1]
• Per capita	$1,036[1]
Time zone	WAT (UTC+01)
ISO 3166 code	NG-GO
Website	gombestate.gov.ng
^1 Preliminary results

Gombe, usually referred to as Gombe State to distinguish it from the city of Gombe, is located in the northeastern part of Nigeria, is one of the country's 36 states; its capital is Gombe. The boundaries of the state roughly correspond to those of the Tangale-Waja Chiefdom and Gombe Emirate, a traditional state.

The State, nicknamed the Jewel of Excellence, was formed in October 1996 from part of the old Bauchi State by the Abacha military government. Its location in the north eastern zone, right within the expansive savannah, allows the state to share common borders with the states of Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi. The state has an area of 20,265 km² and a population of around 2,353,000 people as of 2006.^[2] Gombe has two distinct climates, the dry season (November–March) and the rainy season (April–October) with an average rainfall of 850mm. The State is headed by the Executive Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo and also has 24 State House Assembly members. Gombe has 11 Local Government Areas and 14 Emirates /chiefdoms. It has 3 Senators and 6 Members in the National Assembly.

Local Government Areas

Gombe State consists of eleven (11) Local Government Areas. They are:

Demographic Composition

Gombe State is a multi-ethnic society which comprises a dominant Tangale tribe, that inhabits the Southern Gombe part of the State and other ethnicities such as the Igala, Waja, Fulani and Hausa with their different cultural as well as lingual affiliations. The second largest ethnic group is the Tera which occupies greater part of Yamaltu Deba Local Government. Gombe State is also blessed with some minority ethnic group among others Bolewa, Kanuri, Dadiya, Waja and fulani groups which occupy a sizeable part of some remote areas of the state. The state capital, of Gombe, is a reflection of the heterogeniety of the state.

References