Middle Belt Region Central Nigeria | |
|---|---|
 Some nations of the Middle Belt of Nigeria. | |
| Motto: Our Land, Our People, Our Heritage | |
| Largest city | Abuja |
| Official languages | English |
| Major indigenous languages |
|
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion | Christianity Islam Traditional Religion |
| Demonym(s) | Middle-Belter |
The Middle Belt (also spelt Middle-Belt) or Central Nigeria is a term used in human geography to designate a belt region stretching across central Nigeria longitudinally and forming a transition zone between Northern and Southern Nigeria. It is composed of the southern half of the defunct Northern Region of Nigeria,[3] now comprising mostly the North Central and parts of the North East and North West geopolitical zones, and is characterised by its lack of a clear majority ethnic group. It is also the location of Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory.
The eminence of manifold minority groups, to some degree, constitutes an ethno-linguistic barrier in the country and draws a separation between the principally Muslim North and the mainly Christian south.[4] The region is a convergence of these cultural domains and maintains a tremendous degree of ethno-linguistic diversity. Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger–Congo languages are all spoken, which are three of the primary African language families.[5] In the 1920s, it was described by Melzian (1928:496) as the "Middle Zone".[6]
Some scholars argue that rather than a simple geographic definition, the Middle Belt represents a religious and cultural amalgamation of non-Hausa Christians.[7][further explanation needed]
- ^ "Obed Minchakpu: The Middle Belt question in Nigeria's political discourse". The Sun Online. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "North must apologise for atrocities committed against Middle Belt –Prof Yusuf Turaki". Daily Post. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Patrick (1978). Operation World: A day-to-day guide to praying for the world (4th ed.). OM Publishing and WEC Publications. pp. 327–328. ISBN 1-85078-007-2.
- ^ Johannes Harnischfeger, Democratization and Islamic Law: The Sharia Conflict in Nigeria (Frankfurt am Main 2008) p. 38. Campus Verlag. ISBN 3593382563
- ^ "Languages of Africa". www.fmprc.gov.cn. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Melzian, H. (1928). "Review: [Untitled]". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 1 (4): 495–496. doi:10.2307/1155920. JSTOR 1155920. S2CID 143502810. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ Olaitan, Toba (13 June 2020). "Why Nigeria's North central region can't be renamed "Middle Belt"". Tribune Online. Retrieved 6 April 2023.