Abuja City Guide - overview

As a purpose-built city, there is something rather contrived about Abuja, the relatively new capital city of Nigeria. Laid out in a crescent shape, it is situated in the heart of the country in an area called the Federal Capital Territory; a location chosen for its neutrality in a country rife with ethnic and religious clashes.

Divided into four districts, with designated business and residential sectors, the city has leafy, wide roads, high office towers and large apartment blocks and is infinitely less congested and polluted than Lagos, the former capital. Much of the city is still being built and its population is small, making it a rather characterless place that lacks the colour and bustle of other Nigerian cities.

The dominant feature on the landscape is Aso Rock, a 400-metre high outcrop on the city's outskirts caused by ancient water erosion, which looms behind the attractive Government buildings. There is, however, little else on offer in the way of tourist attractions in Abuja, apart from the National Mosque, the National Church, Parade Square and the Wuse Market, as well as some lovely views of the savannah.

Abuja is often used as a jumping off point for exploring the rest of the country, and most visitors only take a day or two to take in its limited sights. Perhaps as it grows in stature and size, Abuja will become more of an attraction in its own right.

Getting around: