**3. Population and demography of Kano**

The population of Kano has rapidly increased over the years due to the historical function of the city and its cultural development as an ancient city in the defunct former Hausa States of Nigeria. It is a cosmopolitan city that has attracted much populace from Europe, North Africa, and other sub-Saharan countries since the early days of the famous Trans-Sahara trade between the 16th and 19th centuries. Kano is among the most densely populated city in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa [29]. The city has witnessed rapid expansion and growth both in terms of land use and population. According to the National Population Commission, the population census of 1991 and 2006 put the estimated population of Kano to be approximately 5,810,470 and 9,383,682, respectively. Studies conducted by Ibrahim (2014) indicated the gender distribution of the population to consist of 2,958,736 males and 2,851,734 females in 1991, while, in 2006, the population composition further rose to 4,844,128 males and 4,539,554 females. Similarly, Bichi, Abdu, Umar and Tukur [21] opine that the city's metropolis accounted for over 1,432,255 and 2,165,223 of the state's inhabitants in 1991 and 2006, respectively, representing over 23% of the total population in Kano.

The urban population of Kano has increased from a previous 131,000 in 1952 during the colonial government to about 250,000 populace in 1963, as observed by the population census of the Nigerian government [29]. This figure has further increased to approximately 2 million, 2.6 million, and 3.2 million populace in 1990, 2000, and 2010 respectively, as seen in **Table 1** [3]. This indicates an annual growth rate of between 2 to 2.5% in the city's metropolis. In another study, however, conducted by Potts (2012), to critically examine the growth and development of Nigeria's cities. It observed Africapolis [31] re-evaluation of Nigeria's urban population based on the census data and estimated the population of Kano city to be around 459,000 in 1960. It also reported the population of Kano to be 882,000 in 1970, 1,448,000 in 1990,


*Understanding the Challenges of 21st Century Urbanization in Northern Nigeria's Largest City… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109400*

1,855,000 in 2000, and 2,262,000 in 2010. This observation indicates an inconsistency in Kano city's population. However, what remains unquestionable is that the city has undergone tremendous growth over the years, regardless of which population estimate is considered acceptable.

The urban agglomeration of Kano, alongside its suburban areas, covers a radius of 60 square kilometers and a built-up area of 48 square kilometers. Kano metropolis is estimated to have approximately 3,999,050 inhabitants in 8 Local government areas of Kano Municipal, Tarauni, Fagge, Kumbotso, Dala, Nassarawa, Gwale, and Ungogo. Kano currently has an estimated total population of over 12,000,000 inhabitants [21, 27] and a high population density of over 550 inhabitants per square kilometers within the city's closed settlement zone as compared to Nigeria's average population density of 215 inhabitants per square kilometers [32]. Various studies attribute the high population of Kano to various factors that include but are not limited to historical, cultural, environmental, economic, and political developments.
