Yola, Nigeria

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official_name =Yola
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image_caption = Yola town,and in the background the mountains


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pushpin_label_position =bottom
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Nigeria
subdivision_type = Country
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subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Adamawa State
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population_as_of =2004
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population_total = 88,500
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latd=9 |latm=13|lats=48 |latNS=N
longd=12 |longm=27 |longs=36 |longEW=E
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Yola is the capital city and administrative center of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Located on the Benue River, it has a population of 88,500 (2004). Established in 1841, Yola was the capital of a Fulani state until it was taken by the British in 1901. Daytime temperatures can easily exceed 40°C during the dry season.

Yola is split into two distinct parts. The old town of Yola where the Lamido resides is the traditional city but the new city of Jimeta (about 5 km NW) is the administrative and commercial centre. Generally the term Yola is now used to mean both. To the north are the Mandara Mountains and the south are the Shebshi Mountains with Dimlang (Vogel) Peak the highest point (2,042 m) in Nigeria. Yola is an access point for Gashaka Gumpti Nature Reserve and the Mambilla Plateau.

History

Established in 1841, Yola was the capital of a Fulani state until it was taken by the British in 1901. Today, it is the capital of Adamawa State, which was formed in 1991 from part of Gongola State.

Modibbo Adama, a local war chief of the Fulani, founded Yola in 1841. It is an amazing city, full of life and movement all day. Ever since Modibbo Adama founded Yola in 1841, it has undergone many great changes.

During the Islamic Jihad movement led by Shehu Usman Dan Fodio in the 19th Century, Modibbo Adama was recognised as a learned Moslem who could lead the crusade in the Upper Benue area.

Probably the first European to visit the area was Heinrich Barth in 1849, shortly after Yola was founded. He travelled by the Sahara route, coming through Kukawa, which at the time was the capital of Bornu. Jimeta has a market, zoo, an airport with direct flights to Saudi Arabia, NiPost and NiTel offices as well as the main mosque and cathedral. Being a state capital it's also a major transport hub with buses and taxis heading north to Mubi and Maiduguri, west to Numan, Gombe and Bauchi and south to Makurdi and Katsina. Taxis are also available to Garoua in Cameroon. There is a proper runway the airport, although flights are not daily. There is also a State Polytechnic and the Federal University of Technology Yola (FUTY) is based about 10 km north on the road to Mubi and other educational institutions. Adamawa has one of the best depots in Nigeria, located about 5 km west on the road to Numan.

Yola is also home to the American style private university called American University of Nigeria (or AUN in short). Numerous schools both primary and secondary, some highly acclaimed such as ABTI Academy and Concordia College( which was nominated as the best post primary school of the year 2007 by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NASS)) are based there.