Kano State (Hausa: Jihar Kano جِهَرْ كَنُوَ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the 2006 national census, Kano State was the most populous state in Nigeria. Created in 1967 out of the former Northern Region, Kano State shares a border with Katsina State to the northwest, Jigawa State to the northeast, Bauchi State to the southeast, and Kaduna State to the southwest. The state's capital city is Kano, the largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The incumbent governor of the state is Abba Kabir Yusuf, sworn in on 29 May 2023.
Two major ethnic groups, the Hausa and Fulani, make up the majority of Kano State's population. Hausa is the dominant language in the state, as in most parts of Northern Nigeria. Some challenges faced by Kano State in the 21st century include attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, inter-religious violence, and extreme poverty. Kano State operates under Sharia law, within the legal framework of the Nigerian Constitution.
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