Abuja

[uh-boo-juh]

noun

the capital of Nigeria, in the central part.

Nigeria

[nahy-jeer-ee-uh]

noun

a republic in W Africa: member of the Commonwealth of Nations; formerly a British colony and protectorate. 356,669 sq. mi. (923,773 sq. km). Capital: Abuja.

Official name Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Related formsNi·ge·ri·an, adjective, nounpro-Ni·ge·ri·an, adjective, noun

Can be confusedNiger Nigeria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abuja

Contemporary Examples of abuja

Protests have taken place in Abuja, London, Washington D.C. and Manhattan.
Boko Loco: A View From Nigeria
Lola Ogunnaike
May 9, 2014
But on Monday a massive bomb hit a bus terminal on the outskirts of the capital Abuja, killing at least 71 people.
Boko Haram’s Sick Hatred of Schoolgirls
Christopher Dickey
April 16, 2014
His father warned the CIA station in Abuja, they ignored intercepts, State Department never did a thing with his visa.
Blackwater Founder Erik Prince: War on Terror Has Become Too Big
Eli Lake
November 19, 2013
I remember driving to remote villages outside of Abuja, the capital.
Pity Boston, Ignore Nigeria: The Limits of Compassion
Janine di Giovanni
April 28, 2013
In real time, Boko Haram is as far away from the capital of Abuja as Washington, D.C., is from Washington State.
African Taliban Terrorizes Nigeria
Eliza Griswold
August 11, 2009

British Dictionary definitions for abuja

Abuja

noun

the federal capital of Nigeria, in the centre of the country. Pop: 467 000 (2005 est)

Nigeria

noun

a republic in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea: Lagos annexed by the British in 1861; protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria formed in 1900 and united as a colony in 1914; gained independence as a member of the Commonwealth in 1960 (membership suspended from 1995 to 1999 following human rights violations); Eastern Region seceded as the Republic of Biafra for the duration of the severe civil war (1967–70); ruled by military governments from 1966. It consists of a belt of tropical rain forest in the south, with semidesert in the extreme north and highlands in the east; the main export is petroleum. Official language: English; Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba are the chief regional languages. Religion: animist, Muslim, and Christian. Currency: naira. Capital: Abuja. Pop: 174 507 539 (2013 est). Area: 923 773 sq km (356 669 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abuja

Nigeria

African nation, named for river Niger, which runs through it, + -ia. Related: Nigerian.

abuja in Culture

Nigeria

A nation in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean), bordered by Niger to the north, Chad and Cameroon to the east, and Benin to the west. Lagos is the capital and largest city.

Note

With over 110 million inhabitants, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country.

Note

Nigeria has been independent from Britain since 1960, and its independent history has been marked by bloodshed and instability. An ill-fated separatist movement established the secessionist state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria from 1967 to 1970.

Note

The city-state of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, flourished from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries as a center of commerce and culture. It was famous for its cast-gold sculptures.