Abuja | |
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State | Federal Capital Territory |
Country | Nigeria |
Capital | |
Population | 776298 |
Postcode | 900001 |
Abuja () is the capital city of Nigeria situated in the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It's a planned city and was built mainly from the 1980s, replacing the nation's most populous city of Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1991. Abuja's geography is characterized by Aso Rock, a 400-metre (1,300 feet ) monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex, National Assembly, Supreme Court and much of the city extend into the south of the rock. Zuma Rock, a 792-metre (2,598 feet ) monolith, lies just north of the city on the expressway to Kaduna.
At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298 which makes it among the ten most populous cities in Nigeria. According to the United Nations, Abuja climbed by 139.7% between 2000 and 2010, which makes it the fastest growing city in the world.
As of 2015, the town is experiencing an annual growth of 35%, retaining its position as the weakest city on the African continent and among the fastest-growing in the world.
Belgium | |
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State | Illinois |
Country | United States |
Capital | |
Population | 469 |
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376 per square kilometre (970/sq mi). The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.
Legally, Belgium is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds. It is divided into three highly autonomous regions: Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region. Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region, as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita.
Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking Community, which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians. A small German-speaking Community, numbering around one percent, exists in the East Cantons. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual (French and Dutch), although French is the dominant language. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments.
Historically, Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, a somewhat larger region than the current Benelux group of states that also included parts of northern France and western Germany. Its modern name is derived from the Latin word Belgium, used in Julius Caesar's "Gallic Wars", to describe the region in the period around 55 BCE. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, the area of Belgium was a prosperous and cosmopolitan center of commerce and culture.