<Tr> <Th> Climate </Th> <Td> Aw </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> abujacity.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Abuja (/ əˈbuːdʒə /) is the capital city of Nigeria located in the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is a planned city and was built mainly in the 1980s, replacing the country's most populous city of Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1991 . Abuja's geography is defined by Aso Rock, a 400 - metre (1,300 ft) monolith left by water erosion . The Presidential Complex, National Assembly, Supreme Court and much of the city extend to the south of the rock . Zuma Rock, a 792 - metre (2,598 ft) monolith, lies just north of the city on the road to Kaduna State . </P> <P> At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298, making it one of the ten most populous cities in Nigeria . According to the United Nations, Abuja grew by 139.7% between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the world . As of 2015, the city is still experiencing an annual growth of at least 35%, still retaining its position as the fastest - growing city on the African continent and one of the fastest - growing in the world . Abuja has witnessed a huge influx of people into the city; the growth has led to the emergence of satellite towns, such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, Kuje and smaller settlements towards which the planned city is sprawling . The unofficial metropolitan area of Abuja has a population of well over three million, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, surpassed only by Lagos, Kano and Ibadan . As at 2016, the metropolitan area of Abuja is estimated at 6 million persons, placing it behind only Lagos, as the most populous metro area . </P>

When did abuja became the capital of nigeria