Sokoto

Sokoto (sōkō`tō, sō`kətō), city (1987 est. pop. 164,000), NW Nigeria, on the Sokoto River. It is the commercial center for a wide region and a collection place for hides, skins, and peanuts. Rice and tobacco are grown for local consumption. The city has cement, pottery, and leather tanning and dyeing industries. Sokoto was founded in 1809 by Usuman dan Fodio, the Fulani leader who established a large Muslim empire including most of N Nigeria. It became the capital of the empire and was built up in the 1820s by Muhammadu Bello, dan Fodio's son. In 1903, Sokoto fell to British forces under Frederick Lugard. The tomb of dan Fodio and other shrines in the city have made it a place of pilgrimage for Muslims.

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Sokoto

City (pop., 1996 est.: 204,900), northwestern Nigeria. It lies along the Sokoto River on a traditional caravan route that leads north across the Sahara. It was the capital of the Fulani empire. Modern Sokoto is a major trade centre for agriculture and leather crafts. A pilgrimage centre, it is the site of mosques, a sultan's palace, and Usman dan Fodio's tomb and other holy shrines. Usman dan Fodio University was founded in 1975.

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Sokoto

1. a state of NW Nigeria. Capital: Sokoto. Pop.: 4 911 118 (1995 est.). Area: 65 735 sq. km (25 380 sq. miles)

2. a town in NW Nigeria, capital of Sokoto state: capital of the Fulah Empire in the 19th century; Muslim place of pilgrimage. Pop.: 444 000 (2005 est.)