Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory and the capital of the Nigeria was created in 1976. Abuja officially replaced Lagos as capital in December 1991, after 15 years of planning and construction. The city is located in a scenic valley of rolling grasslands in an ethnically neutral area.

Geography
Lying between latitude 8.25 and 9.20 North of the Equator and longitude 6.45 and 7.39 East of the Greenwich Meridian, Abuja is located geographically at the Centre of the country. The Federal Capital Territory has a landmass of about 8,000 sq.km out of which the city itself occupies only 250 sq.km. Abuja is located within the Savannah region with moderate climatic conditions. Its undulating plains and hills with virgin parkland scenery make the city an attractive place to live.

Development
The Master Plan for the city envisage a phased developmental programme with the first phase designed to cater for about 230,000 people. This phase which is almost completed covers about 250 sq.km of the territory and form the Centre of the city’s developmental effort because of its strategic and cosmopolitan influence. Development at this stage revolves essentially around residential, business and office construction for the ever increasing number of migrants into the city. Development areas covered under phase 1 of the Master Plan include Central Area, Garki, Wuse, Asokoro and Maitama. The Abuja Capital city boasts of landmarks such as the ECOWAS Secretariat, NICON Hilton Hotel, Abuja Sheraton and Towers, Central Bank, Radio House, International Conference Centre, National Mosque and many beautiful architectural designs of private residential buildings and state of the art infrastructural facilities all of which bear eloquent testimony of Nigeria’s resolve to have a befitting capital city. The Capital City has many primary schools, post-primary schools, fully equipped specialist and General Hospitals, Comprehensive Health Centres and maternal child welfare centres all with highly skilled medical personnel. The road network linking the various sections of the city, availability of uninterrupted power supply and clean portable water makes Abuja second to none in the provision of effective and efficient infrastructures in the country.

Accessibility
Abuja being located in the geographical centre of the country is easily accessible from all parts of the country. The city is linked to all parts of the country through a collection of good road networks. Such roads include Benin city through Lokoja to Abuja; Jos, Makurdi through Keffi to Abuja; Kano/Kaduna through Suleja to Abuja; Bida/Minna through Suleja to Abuja; Lagos - Auchi - Oyo - Ogbomosho through Jebba to Abuja and a host of other small access roads too numerous to mention.

By air, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport links the city to other parts of the country. Several airlines such as Nigeria Airways, ADC, Bellview, Albarka, Chanchangi, IRS to mention a few operate flights between the city and other parts of the country. On the whole and with the advantage of its centrality, Abuja is less than two hours flight and less than 800 km by road from any part of the country.

Tourism
Abuja is a tourist haven. Its serenity and temperate weather, beauty and natural endowments attract visitors to the city, many of who express admiration at the wonderful blend of nature and development. The various hills such as Gwagwa Hills, Chukuku Hills, Agwai hills and the famous Zuma Rock offer unlimited opportunities for mountaineering. Its serenity as opposed to the bustling and hustling of Lagos has attracted the hosting of many international Conferences and Seminars in the city. The presence of several international standard hotels to meet the accommodation and recreational needs of visitors to the city has been an added advantage. Prominent among these hotels are the 998-room NICON Hilton Hotel located within the Maitama District of the City as well as the Sheraton Hotel and Towers with over 600 rooms also located within the same area. There are of course several others like the Protea Hotel, Rockview, Agura, Chelsea to mention a view. They offer services and facilities that compare favourably with other international 5-star hotels in their class. There are other medium class hotels ready to meet the needs of less privileged visitors to the city.