Kaduna

City in northern Nigeria, on the Kaduna River, capital of Kaduna state; population (2007 est) 1,652,800. It is a market centre for grain and cotton; industries include textiles, cars, timber, pottery, brewing, munitions, and oil refining.

Kaduna was formerly capital of the British Protectorate of Northern Nigeria. Centrally situated on an extensive plateau, it was planned as a colonial administrative centre and so has none of the traditional features of towns like Zaria, 80 km/50 mi to the north. It was linked by rail to Kano and Lagos in 1912 and to Port Harcourt in 1927, and developed into a major railway junction.