Kano is a city in
Nigeria and the capital of
Kano State in
Northern Nigeria, in the
Sahelian geographic region south of the
Sahara. Kano is the commercial nerve center of
Northern Nigeria and is the second largest city in
Nigeria after
Lagos. According to the 2006 census, Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria, with about 9,383,682 million people. The Kano urban area covers 137 km
2 and comprises six
local government areas (LGAs) —
Kano Municipal,
Fagge,
Dala,
Gwale,
Tarauni and Nassarawa — with a population of 2,163,225 at the 2006 Nigerian census. The
metropolitan area covers 499 km
2 and comprises eight LGAs — the six mentioned above plus
Ungogo and
Kumbotso — with a population of 2,828,861 at the 2006 Nigerian census.