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Nigeria Early States Before 1500
Long before 1500, much of present-day Nigeria was
divided
into states, which can be identified with the modern
ethnic
groups that trace their history to the origins of these
states.
These early states included the Yoruba kingdoms, the Edo
kingdom
of Benin, the Hausa cities, and Nupe. In addition,
numerous small
states to the west and south of Lake Chad were absorbed or
displaced in the course of the expansion of Kanem, which
was
centered to the northeast of Lake Chad. Borno, initially
the
western province of Kanem, became independent in the late
fourteenth century. Other states probably existed as well,
but
oral traditions and the absence of archaeological data do
not
permit an accurate dating of their antiquity.
Data as of June 1991
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