Jos North is a Local Government Area in Plateau State, headquartered in the city center of Jos, the state capital. The 2006 census counted 437,217 residents; a 2022 projection puts the population at 643,200. The LGA anchors the northern half of the Jos metropolis, a former tin-mining town that grew under British colonial rule in the early twentieth century, sitting at roughly 1,217 metres above sea level on the Jos Plateau. It is the indigenous homeland of the Anaguta people, one of the founding communities of the Jos area.
Key Facts
| State | Plateau State |
| Headquarters | Jos (city center) |
| Population (2006 census) | 437,217 |
| Population (2022 projection) | 643,200 |
| Area | 291 km² |
| Wards | 14 |
| Indigenous group | Anaguta |
Towns and Villages in Jos North
The list below was checked name by name against 2015 INEC ward and polling-unit records, the GeoNames gazetteer and the GRID3 Nigeria settlement dataset.
- Abba Na Shehu
- Ali Kazaure
- Babale
- Dong
- Dutse Uku
- Fudawa
- Furaka
- Gangare
- Garba Daho
- Gwafan
- Gwash
- Gwong
- Ibrahim Katsina
- Jenta Adamu
- Jenta Apata
- Jos Jarawa
- Kabong
- Lamingo
- Laranto
- Mazah
- Nabor
- Nagohom
- Naraguta
- Nasarawa
- Nupis
- Rigiza
- Rikkos
- Rusau
- Sarkin Arab
- Tafawa Balewa
- Targwong
- Tudun Wada
- Vanderpuye
- Zakaliyo
- Zangam
Geography
Jos North sits on the Jos Plateau at the northern edge of the wider Jos metropolitan area, alongside Jos South and Jos East, the two other LGAs that together make up the city. Jos North is one of the LGAs of Plateau State (all Plateau State LGAs). The LGA covers 291 square kilometres and is divided into 14 wards: Abba Na Shehu, Ali Kazaure, Garba Daho, Gangare, Ibrahim Katsina, Jenta Adamu, Jenta Apata, Jos Jarawa, Naraguta ‘A’, Naraguta ‘B’, Sarkin Arab, Tafawa Balewa, Tudun Wada-Kabong and Vanderpuye. Sitting on the Jos Plateau at over 1,200 metres, the LGA has a cooler climate than most of Nigeria, with an average annual temperature near 28°C and about 1,750 mm of rainfall a year. The wider city sits within Nigeria’s Guinea Savanna belt, an area of steep hills and rugged, windy terrain, and the 2006 census counted roughly 900,000 residents across all of Jos, making it Nigeria’s sixth-largest urban centre at the time. The Jishe district, seat of the Gbong Gwom Jos, the traditional ruler of the Jos area, lies within Jos North; Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stopped to rest there in 1956 during a tour of Nigeria.
Economy & Local Life
Jos North has long served as the commercial nerve centre of Plateau State, home to a central market, a Central Bank of Nigeria branch and most of the city’s commercial bank headquarters. Cassiterite (tin ore) and columbite deposits nearby made the area an important mining centre under British colonial rule, giving Jos its old nickname “Tin City”; ore was carried by rail to coastal ports for export until mining declined in the 1960s. Commerce, public administration and the University of Jos now anchor the local economy, alongside cultural institutions such as the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the Nigerian Film Institute. Trading activity has partly shifted toward Jos South in recent years amid periods of communal tension.
Getting There
Jos North occupies the administrative core of Jos, and the roads that converge on the state capital from Abuja, Kaduna and Bauchi all lead into the LGA. Yakubu Gowon Airport serves the wider Jos metropolitan area with domestic flights; the rail line that once carried tin from Jos to the coast is no longer operational, unlike the western Lagos-to-Kano line elsewhere in the country. Within the LGA, the University of Jos teaching hospital sits at Laminga, and the Nigerian Film Institute is located near the British America junction on Murtala Mohammed Way.
FAQ
Which state is Jos North in?
Jos North is in Plateau State, Nigeria. It forms the northern half of the Jos metropolitan area, alongside Jos South and Jos East.
What is the population of Jos North?
The 2006 census recorded 437,217 people in Jos North. A 2022 projection puts the population at 643,200, spread across the LGA’s 291 square kilometres and 14 wards.
What is the headquarters of Jos North?
The headquarters of Jos North is in the city center of Jos, the Plateau State capital, which also serves as the commercial nerve centre of the state.
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