Kano is the largest city in northern Nigeria. It has a population of around 2 million giving it a busy atmosphere. It is an ancient trading city inhabited for well over a thousand years. Despite the international airport there is little tourist trade, but there are still surprisingly many attractions to visit and, as with the rest of Nigeria, the joy is in the people and the buzz of the streets.
The city is predominantly Muslim with a small percentage of Christians and traditional religions. Sharia law was introduced around 2001 but only applies to Muslims and punishments are rare. There have been sectarian riots, but this is mainly due to political tensions and is not targeted at foreigners.
Foreign currency is not usually accepted so get some Nigerian Naira at a bank or an ATM.
Electricity brownouts are a common problem and don't expect the cleanest of streets.
The official language is English, but the language of the street is Hausa.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kano
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Kano - updated Apr 2024
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Kano Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
