Yola, Nigeria
Yola | |
|---|---|
Top: Yola with the Adamawa highlands in background, Middle left: City center monument, Middle center: American university in Nigeria, Yola, Middle right: Lamido's Palace, Bottom: The Benue River | |
Yola Location in Nigeria | |
| Coordinates: 9°13′48″N 12°27′36″E / 9.23000°N 12.46000°E | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| State | Adamawa State |
| Established | 1841 |
| Founded by | Modibbo Adama |
| Area | |
• Total | 118 km2 (46 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 599 m (1,965 ft) |
| Population (2006 census) | |
• Total | 392,854 |
| • Density | 3,330/km2 (8,620/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Ethnic groups | Fulani · Kilba · Kanuri |
| Time zone | GMT+1 |
| Climate | Aw |
Yola (Fulfulde ƴola: meaning 'Great Plain' or 'Vast Plain Land') is the capital city and administrative centre of Adamawa State, Nigeria. It is located on the Benue River, and has a population of over 336,648 (2010). Yola is split into two parts. The old town of Yola where the Lamido of Adamawa resides, is the traditional city and the new city of Jimeta (about 5 km or 3 mi NW) is the administrative and commercial centre.
To the north are the Mandara Mountains and to the south are the Shebshi Mountains and Mount Dimlang (Vogel Peak) .
Yola is an access point to the Gashaka Gumpti Nature Reserve, which is one of the largest national parks in Nigeria, the Ngel Nyaki montane forest reserve, the Mambilla Plateau, the Sukur UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is Africa's first cultural landscape to receive World Heritage List inscription, the Yadin Waterfalls, the Kiri Dam on the Gongola River, the Benue national park in nearby Cameroon, the Waza National Park, and the Cameroonian town of Garoua, which lies across the border, on the Benue river.