ABSTRACT
The population of the Northern Region of Nigeria, as recorded in the last Census, taken in 1952, was 16,840,000. It is generally-considered that it is increasing at the rate of 2 per cent, per annum and the latest estimate available is 19,877,000. 1 The overall population density is 71 per square mile, but this obscures very wide variations. Thus in the twenty-mile belt outside Kano City and part of northern Sokoto the density is well over 400 persons per square mile, while in the Borgu Division of Ilorin Province it is under 10.
