Abuja
[key], city and federal capital territory (2021 metropolitan area est. pop. 3,278,000),
central Nigeria. Plans to move the capital from Lagos were approved in 1976, and a 3,000-sq mi (7,770-sq km) capital territory
was created near the old town of Abuja (renamed Suleja). The site was chosen for its location
near the center of the country, its good climate, and small population. The planned city of
Abuja is located in the center of the federal capital territory. Construction was carried on
throughout the 1980s and Abuja officially became Nigeria's capital in 1991. A light rail
system opened in the city in 2018. It has experienced great growth in population over the last
decades, some stating it is the fastest growing urban area in the world, and is now the
country's eighth largest city in population.
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