Kano

For other uses of the word Kano see Kano (disambiguation). Kano (disambiguation) Kano is the administrative center of the Kano State and the second largest city in Nigeria, with a population of 1,166,554 (2004). It has long been the economic centre of northern Nigeria, and a centre for the production and export of groundnuts. Kano houses a university and a railway station with trains to Lagos routed through Kaduna, while Kano International Airport lies nearby. Kano has long been a centre for Nigeria's Islamic culture; one of the country's finest mosques lies in the city. Formerly walled, most of the gates to the Old City survive. The Old City houses the vast Kurmi Market, known for its crafts, while old dye pits – still in use – lie nearby. Also in the Old City are the 15th century Sahelian Emir's Palace, neighbouring Kano Central Mosque and the Gidan Makama Mosque. The Gida Dan Hausa house is another architecturally notable building. Christians and followers of other non-Muslim religions form only a small part of the population, and traditionally lived in the Sabon Gari, or Foreign Quarter. In the 1970s and again in 2001 there were inter religious riots in which hundreds are reported to have died - most recently over the introduction of Islamic sharia law.

History

The city of Kano was founded around the year 1000 as an independent Hausa city-state. Kano remained a leading independent emirate or kingdom until the creation of the Nigerian nation state in 1903. Kano grew to be a prosperous centre for trans-Saharan trade in gold, leather, ivory, salt and slaves, perhaps reaching the height of its wealth and power in the 14th Century, when Islam gained a growing following. By the 15th Century the first Central Mosque had been erected in the city. According to the Kano Chronicle, the thirty-seventh Sarkin Kano (King of Kano) was Mohammed Sharef (1703–1731). His successor Kumbari dan Sharefa (1731–1743) engaged in major battles with neighbouring Sokoto. At the beginning of the 19th Century, Fulani Islamic leader Usman dan Fodio led a jihad against Kano, removing its Hausa Emir and reforming the government and religious authority. Since then the Fulani Emirs have remained traditional leaders of Kano. British forces captured the city in 1903. Kano was replaced as the centre of government for the Northern Region of Nigeria by Kaduna, and only regained administrative significance with the creation of Kano State following Nigerian independence. Kano is perhaps the most politically active state in Nigeria with everyone including women and children participating actively in politics. Prominent national politicians like Abubakar Rimi, Ghali Umar Na'abba, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Musa Gwadabe hail from Kano. Top Nigerian businessmen like Aliko Dangote who is arguably the biggest industrialist in Nigeria also hails from Kano. Category:Cities in Nigeria Category:Nigerian state capitals

Kano (disambiguation)

Kano may refer to:
- The city of Kano, Nigeria
- Kano State in Nigeria
- The Kano Chronicle
- The Kano school of Japanese painters
- Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.
- The name of a character in the video game Mortal Kombat; see Kano (Mortal Kombat character)
- Kano (rapper)
- Kano (early 1980s Italian dance group)
- Kano (Kagerou)

Kano State

Kano State is a state located in north-central Nigeria. Created on May 27 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, and Bauchi and Kaduna states to the south. The capital of Kano State is Kano. The state originally included Jigawa State which was made an independent state in 1991. The state is home to 44 local government areas which are:

- Dala
- Kano
- Kunbotso
- Nassarawa
- Rimin
- Gado
- Doguwa
- Tudun Wada
- Sumaila
- Wudil
- Takai

- Albasu
- Bebeji
- Rano
- Bunkure
- Karaye
- Kiru
- Kabo
- Kura
- Madiob
- Gwarzo
- Shanono

- Dawakin
- Kudu Isanyawa
- Bichi Dawakin Tofa
- Dambarta
- Minjibir
- Ungogo
- Gezawa
- Gebasawa
- Bagwai
- Gaye
- Tofa

- Waraua
- Fagge
- Gwale
- Taarauni
- Ajingi
- Garko
- Garun Mallam
- Rogo
- Makoda
- Kibliya
- Kunchi

Historically, Kano state has been a commercial and agricultural state, which is known for the production of groundnuts as well as for its solid mineral deposits. The state has more than 30,000 square kilometres of cultivable land and is the most irrigated state in the country. Because of successful projects to improve social welfare, Kano state is a trend-setter in education and healthcare. The official language of Kano State is English but the Hausa language is commonly spoken. Kano indegines pride themselves on the fact that the wealthiest Nigerians either hail from or live there. As such, there is a popular saying amongst it's people that "With whatever you come to Kano, there is someone who has more than you" Their claim may not be unfounded as Nigerian billionaires like Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dantata, and many more call Kano home. Foreign investments and investors can be seen all over the city. It is Nigeria's center of commerce. The traditional ruler of Kano state is Alhaji Ado Bayero. He bears the title of Emir or Sarki (According to the local people) of Kano. He is one of Nigeria's most influential and powerful Monarchs. Category:States of Nigeria

Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa. It is the most populous country in Africa. Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 after a long sixteen years interruption by corrupt and brutal series of military dictators and counter coups. Nigeria borders Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. Major cities include the capital Abuja, the former capital Lagos, Ibadan, Osogbo, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, Onitsha, Jos, Ilorin, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Sokoto and Benin City. The country's name first appeared in print in the Times of London in 1897 and was suggested by the papers colonial editor Flora Shaw who would later marry Frederick Lugard, the first Govenor General of the Amalgamated Nigeria. The name comes from a combination of the words "Niger" (the country's longest river) and "Area." Its adjective form is Nigerian , which should not be confused with Nigerien for Niger.

History

The first known civilization in Nigeria was that of the Nok. The Nok were an iron age people existing from 500 BC until about 200 AD on the Jos plateau in north-eastern Nigeria. The Kanem-Bornu Empire near Lake Chad dominated northern Nigeria for over 600 years, prospering as a terminal of north-south trade between North African Berbers and forest people. In the early 19th century, Usman dan Fodio brought most areas in the north under the loose control of an Islamic empire centered at Sokoto. The kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in the southwest and Benin in the south developed elaborate systems of political organization in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Ife and Benin are noted for their prized artistic works in ivory, wood, bronze, and brass. In the southeast, the populous village-networks of the Igbo and other acephalous groups like the Ibibio were governed by indigenous African notions of egalitarianism and democracy. Some of the oldest artwork found in West Africa was recovered in this region, with the Igbo-Ukwu bronze sculptures being among the most famous. In the 17th through 19th centuries, European traders established coastal ports for the increasing traffic in slaves destined for the American continent. Commodity trade replaced slave trade in the 19th century. The Royal Niger Company was chartered by the British government in 1886. Northern and Southern Nigeria became British protectorates in 1901 and were amalgamated into a single colony in 1914. In response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism following World War II, the British moved the colony towards self-government on a federal basis. Nigeria won full independence in 1960, as a federation of three regions, each retaining a substantial measure of self-government. At the time of Nigeria's first elections in 1959, there were a number of prominent parties - Nnamdi Azikiwe's National Council of Nigerian and the Cameroons (NCNC) which had control of the Eastern Region, Ahmadu Bello's Northern People's Congress (NPC), which had control of the Northern Region and Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group (AG) which had control of the Western Region. When no party won a majority during the 1959 elections, the NPC combined with the NCNC to form a government, and when independence arrived in 1960, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was made the Prime Minister, and Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the Governor General. As with much of Nigerian history, severe conflicts developed within the ruling coalition. In 1962, part of the Action Group split off to form the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), led by S.I. Akintola. In 1963, the Mid-Western Region was formed from part of the Western Region. When Nigeria became a Republic in 1963, Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the President of the Federal Republic. However, in 1964, a great controversy broke out, over the 1963 population census, with the NCNC claiming that there was an overestimatation of the number of people in the Northern Region, thus giving the north a greater representation in the federal parliament. In 1966, two successive coups by different groups of army officers brought the country under military rule. In January of that year, a number of junior army officers staged a coup d'etat to overthrow the government, in the process killing Balewa, Bello, Akintola and some senior officers. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who successfully stopped the coup, was put in charge of the military government which was to be the first of many. Despite the fact that this coup was tremendously violent, the new government did promise a progressive agenda - a return to civilian rule determined by elections and vowed to stamp out corruption and stop violence, and this particularly appealed to the youth. Furthermore, Aguiyi-Ironsi tried to restore discipline within the army. He suspended the regional constitution with its different regions, dissolved all legislative bodies, banned political parties, imprisoned Awolowo, and formed a Federal Military Government with the aim of centralising governance. A decree was issued, that March, to abolish the federation, and unify the federal and regional civil servants. Many accused Aguiyi-Ironsi of favouring the Igbos over other ethnic groups and the fact that the military government did not prosecute the officers that killed the northern leaders stirred further rage. Though Aguiyi-Ironsi had some concessions like protecting the northerners from southern competition in the civil service, many northerners felt like the coup was a plot to make the Igbo's dominant in Nigeria. Fighting broke out for a while between the northerners and the Igbo, and in July of the same year, northern officers staged another coup, killing Aguiyi-Ironsi and many other Igbo officials. The Muslim officers chose Yakubu Gowon (who was a Christian) as the new ruler. Gowon had not actually been involved in the coup, but they felt he would be a compromising candidate to head the Federal Military Government. His first steps included restoring Federalism, and releasing Awolowo from prison. Gowon vowed to start Nigeria along the road to civilian government. However, now the Igbos were becoming more and more afraid of their position in Nigeria. In 1967, when Gowon moved to split the 4 existing regions into 12 states, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the leader of the Eastern Region refused to accept this, and declared that the Eastern Region would become its own independent republic, named Biafra. This was not accepted, and in June 1967, a civil war broke out between Biafra and the remainder of Nigeria. Following the creation of Biafra, war broke out between the Federal Government and the Igbo dominated eastern region. Under Brigadiers Adekunle, Obasanjo and Murtala Mohammed, a systematic battle plan that comprised saturated air bombings and starvation forced the Biafran rebels to capitulate. On 15th January 1970, left with the choice of surrender and the total destruction of the Biafran populace, Philip Effiong, Chief of Staff of the rebel army accepted the terms of surrender before Yakubu Gowon, Head of the Northern dominated federal government. In 1974, Gowon broke his promise to return the nation to civilian rule, and in July of 1975, there was yet another military coup, the first of many bloodless coups. This brought the hugely popular Murtala Ramat Mohammed to power. As his predecessors had done, Murtala Mohammed promised to lead Nigeria back into civilian rule. In February of 1976, there was an attempted coup by Buka Dimka, and though it was unsuccessful, Muhammed was killed. So, Olusegun Obasanjo was chosen to take his place as the new ruler, and promised to continue what Muhammed had started. During his term, he raised University fees, and this led to student riots (which have also become quite common it seems). The government then banned student organizations, restricted public opposition to the regime, controlled union activity, and nationalized land. Controversy trailed his indigenization of foreign businesses perceived to be much to the advantage of his own Yoruba people who were the larger population in the then capital Lagos and the increased oil industry regulation. However, in 1978, Obasanjo did set up a new constitution, one that would return the country to the much awaited state of civilian rule. Elections were finally held in 1979, bringing Shehu Shagari into office as the new President of Nigeria. While Shagari was able to serve his entire term and was, in fact the victor of the 1983 elections, many people believed the elections were rigged and the rightful leader was Obafemi Awolowo. This set the stage for yet another coup, this time on December 31, 1983. The new military government, under Muhammadu Buhari was welcomed at the time, because many felt that the nation had further deteriorated into more shameless corruption and economic mismanagement, under the supposedly democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari. Buhari set out to try to revive the economy, and this took priority over everything else, including returning the country to civilian rule. He also took security of the government as a high priority, restricted freedom of the press, suppressed criticism of the government, and outlawed many organizations. Moreover, he declared a "War Against Indiscipline" to deal with such aspects as public behavior, sanitation, public appearance, corruption, smuggling, and patriotism. He also took many other measures of austerity that made it difficult for some companies to run, and this eventually led to high inflation and thus a much higher cost of living. Yet another bloodless coup took place on August 27, 1985. This time Ibrahim Babangida (Buhari's chief of army staff before the coup) was named the ruler. Babangida claimed that Buhari's regime was insensitive to the feelings of the Nigerian masses, especially with regards to the restrictions imposed on the press. He started his rule claiming to be a human rights activist, but this image faded with time. Though he released some of the politicians that Buhari incarcerated, he also hounded opposition interest groups, and detained many radical people for various offenses, and even had a decree to facilitate some oppressive acts. As concerns his economic policy, Babangida introduced market reforms, freeing exchange and interest rates, and this led to a sharp drop in the value of the Nigerian currency, while raising lending rates to more than 40 percent. In April of 1986, there was another attempted coup by Mamman Vatsa, and him and his followers were executed. On April 22, 1990, there was yet another attempted coup by Gideon Orkar that failed, but almost killed Babangida, whose bedroom had been bombed. Unlike previous coups and attempted coups, this coup was believed to have been heavily funded by civilians, suggesting that they were willing to have another military ruler over Babangida. As per a new constitution that was drafted in 1990, the country was to return to civilian rule in 1992. As the date approached, there were many suspicions that this promise was not going to be kept. Pressure started mounting on the military government, and finally, in 1992, an election took place. However, the Babangida government annulled the results of that election, claiming fraud, and postponed a re-run of the elections for a year. Another election was held in June of 1993, and on June 12 of 1993, the winner was declared to be Moshood Abiola. Babangida again claimed fraud, and annulled the results of this election, which was believed to be the first fair election held in the history of Nigeria. This led to great unrest, all over Nigeria. Hundreds of demonstrators were killed, human rights and pro-democracy activists were arrested, and opposition newspapers were shut down. The pressure mounted anyway, and finally on August 27, 1993, Babangida resigned, and appointed Ernest Shonekan, a civilian, in place as the head of an interim civilian government. Shonekan's rule was the shortest rule in Nigerian history, lasting less than 3 months. The Government was declared illegal and unconstitutional by a High Court, and General Sani Abacha took power on November 17, 1993. Abacha is believed to have been instrumental in both the 1983 and the 1985 coups, and was Babangida's defense minister. Abacha, the most infamous of the infamous Nigerian rulers brought much publicity to Nigeria from the international community. Initially, Abacha promised to return the government to civilian rule within two years. In the meantime, he dismantled all elected institutions, terminated all national and state assemblies, closed independent publications, banned all political activity, and suspended the constitution. On June 12, 1994, Abiola, backed by politicians, retired army brass, and pro-democracy activists, proclaimed himself as the president. He was imprisoned on charges of treason, and in 1996, he was placed in solitary confinement. Following Abiola's, his wife, Kudirat Abiola, launched a campaign for democracy and human rights. She held pro-democracy rallies, defied the military decree banning political associations, presented victims of military repression to international fact-finding missions, inspired many other people, especially women, and won the "Woman of the Year" awards in both 1994 and 1995. However, on June 4, 1996, she was assassinated, and quite naturally, the assassination was attributed to the military government of Sani Abacha. On March 1, 1995 there was another attempted coup by Lawan Gwadabe. Also suspected as part of this coup were Olusegun Obasanjo (a previous president) and Shehu Musa Yar'Adua. They were sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for this. Yar'Adua died while in prison, and Obasanjo was there for the remainder of Abacha's life. Also arrested sometime during 1995 was Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, a human rights activist who had been repeatedly arrested and released, but this time was charged with treason, and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later reduced to 15 years, even against High Court rulings, and Amnesty International. He was also in jail for the remainder of Abacha's life. Also in 1995, was the giant controversy that brought the Ogoni people into the spotlight. Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmentalist and playwright, had been critical of the Nigerian government for the environmental damages being inflicted on the land inhabited by the Ogoni people, due to the oil industry. Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders were arrested on charges of conspiring to slay political opponents. On October 31, 1995, all nine leaders were sentenced to death, by hanging. Opposition for this sentence and an appeal for mercy came from all over the world, including the Commonwealth, and Nelson Mandela. However, on November 10, they were hung anyway. This stunned the world, and led to the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth, and Nelson Mandela calling for international sanctions against Nigerian oil, which account for more than 90 percent of Nigeria's foreign currency earnings. Doubtless, this hurt the already bleeding economy and Abacha tried to improve his image by portraying Nigeria as a regional peacemaker, and in 1996, even aided a peace agreement that ended Liberia's 7-year civil war and made way for elections in Liberia. Also, when a military coup took place in Sierra Leone, Abacha stepped in, and sent his army on a military assault to restore the democratically elected government. This did inspire some amount of confidence from the public who were becoming increasingly confident that he would return Nigeria to a democratic rule as he had promised. Nigerian self confidence also received a boost when the men's national soccer team became the first African team to win Olympic gold in the 1996 games in Atlanta where they defeated Argentina. On December 21, 1997, there was allegedly another attempted coup on the Abacha government by Oladipo Diya, and he was imprisoned. Many believe that the incident was fabricated by the Abacha government to justify the subsequent persecution of Diya. In April of 1998, Diya, 4 other officers, and a civilian were sentenced to death, while many others were sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths. Elections to return to civilian rule were set for August 1 of 1998, with a return date to civilian rule set for October 1, 1998. However, in April, Abacha became the only nominated candidate for the presidency. Opposition to his rule had been mounting more and more in recent months, because it was suspected that he did not intend to step down. Demonstrations and riots broke out, and many were killed. Abacha's reign of terror came to an end when he died unexpectedly on June 8th 1998, of a heart attack. Abdulsalami Abubakar became leader of the Provisional Ruling Council. He lifted the suspension of the 1979 constitution, and was set to release Chief M.K.O. Abiola the winner of the 1993 Election before the latter died in July 1998 from what international medical experts initially described as natural causes; later this was changed to death from poisonous substance. Court cases since Abiola's death have brought to light that his tea was poisoned. In 1999, Nigeria elected Olusegun Obasanjo as President in its first elections in 16 years. Obasanjo and his party also won the turbulent elections of 2003. Although having won the election, Obasanjo has had a love-hate relationship with the Nigerian people. With the killing of Justice Bola Ige, an advocate for peace, justice and openness, many doubt the success of Nigeria's democratic dream; particularly, with the ever daunting 2007 election around the corner. With the majority of Nigerians believing that the Obasanjo regime is one of the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria, many educated Nigerians are leaving the country, causing a massive "brain drain" on the economy. The corruption of the Nigerian political class is exemplified by the arrest and trial of the Inspector General of Police and the recent arrest of a governor of one of the southern states in the United Kingdom on charges of money laundering.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Nigeria Nigeria is a Federal Republic, comprising 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

States

:Main article: States of Nigeria :For traditional states, see Nigerian traditional states Nigeria is divided into 36 states and 1 territory. Each state has a unicameral House of Assembly and an elected Governor, who appoints an Executive Council.

- Abia
- Adamawa
- Akwa Ibom
- Anambra
- Bauchi
- Bayelsa
- Benue
- Borno
- Cross River
- Delta

- Ebonyi
- Edo
- Ekiti
- Enugu
- Gombe
- Imo
- Jigawa
- Kaduna
- Kano

- Katsina
- Kebbi
- Kogi
- Kwara
- Lagos
- Nassarawa
- Niger
- Ogun
- Ondo

- Osun
- Oyo
- Plateau
- Rivers
- Sokoto
- Taraba
- Yobe
- Zamfara
- Abuja Federal Capital Territory

Geography

Abuja Federal Capital Territory)]] Main article: Geography of Nigeria Nigeria is located on the Gulf of Guinea. Its major cities are located in southern lowlands. The central part of the country contains hills and plateaus. The north consists of arid plains that border the Sahara. Its neighboring countries are Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Forest and woodland occurs chiefly in the southern third of the country, which is affected by seasonal rains from the Atlantic which occur from June to September. As one progresses northward the country becomes drier and the vegetation more savanna in type. The northern third of the country forms part of the semi-arid sahel region on the fringes of the Sahara desert. Nigeria is divided roughly in three by the rivers Niger and Benue, which flow through the country from north-east and north-west to meet roughly in the centre of the country near the new capital city of Abuja. From here the united rivers flow south to the sea at the Niger Delta. Its highest point is Chappal Waddi (2,419 m), on the Cameroonian border.

Economy

Chappal Waddi Main article: Economy of Nigeria The oil-rich Nigerian economy, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management, is undergoing substantial economic reform under the new civilian administration. Nigeria's rulers stole or misused £220 billion. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has not kept up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, has since 1974, been a net importer of basic foodstuffs. Mineral resources include petroleum, coal and tin. Agricultural products include groundnuts, palm oil, cocoa, citrus Fruits, maize, millet, cassava, yams and sugar cane. Although not a legitimate revenue-generating activity, Nigeria has become infamous in certain Western circles for the propagation of advance fee fraud or "419" scams via email.

Demographics

email Main article: Demographics of Nigeria The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for approximately one-quarter of Africa's people. Although fewer than 25% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, at least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000 and 45-60% of the population are expected to reside in or around metropolitan areas by the year 2015. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's estimated 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich cultural diversity. The dominant ethnic group in the northern part are the Hausa-Fulani, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim. Other major ethnic groups of the north are the Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri. The Yoruba people are predominant in the south, especially the south-west. Over half of the Yorubas are Christian and about a quarter are Muslim, with the remainder following mostly traditional beliefs. The Ibo (third-largest ethnic group), Efik, Ibibio/Annang, and Ijaw (the country's fourth-largest ethnic group) communities also comprise a substantial segment of the population in that area particularly the south-east. Persons of different language backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo are the most widely used Nigerian languages. In recent years against a background of national economic and political uncertainty, there has been a radicalization of politics particularly in the northern part of the country. Several northern states have instituted parts of traditional Islamic Sharia law including enforcing the strict separation of the sexes and handing out medieval punishment for crimes such as theft and adultery.

Education

Colleges: Seefunk party List of Nigerian universities

Public Health Issues

Polio

One issue which has been complicated by political chaos has been the effort of the World Health Organization to eradicate polio worldwide. Northern Nigeria was the location of half of all documented polio cases in 2003, but Muslim clerics have repeatedly inveighed against the vaccine as an effort by Westerners to sterilize young Nigerian Muslim girls. The national vaccination program was suspended in several states in August of 2003, and the disease nearly quintupled in frequency (119 cases in first quarter 2004, vs. 24 in 2003). By May of 2004, polio was reported to have spread from there to several other African nations which had previously been declared polio-free. On May 18, the state of Kano agreed to resume vaccination programs using vaccines produced in Indonesia, not the US. [http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907670277]

Obstetric Fistula

From a [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/international/africa/28africa.html?ex=1128571200&en=df607b333e505fd6&ei=5070&emc=eta1 September 28, 2005, New York Times article]: : Mostly teenagers who tried to deliver their first child at home, the girls failed at labor. Their babies were lodged in their narrow birth canals, and the resulting pressure cut off blood to vital tissues and ripped holes in their bowels or urethras, or both. Now their babies were dead. And the would-be mothers, their insides wrecked, were utterly incontinent. This is obstetric fistula, a very painful, preventable condition. Deferred marriage, birth control and caesarian section have all but eliminated this health problem in the developed world. Also from that article: :[Obstetric fistula] is most concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty and rudimentary health care combine with traditions of home birth and early pregnancy to make women especially vulnerable. In Nigeria alone, perhaps 400,000 to 800,000 women suffer untreated fistulas, says the United Nations. The United Nations has a campaign to treat and prevent fistulas. See [http://www.endfistula.org endfistula.org].

Culture

Main article: Culture of Nigeria
- Music of Nigeria
- List of writers from Nigeria
- Islam in Nigeria
- Christianity in Nigeria

External links

Government
- [http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/ Nigerian Government] official site
- [http://www.nopa.net/ Nopa Net] National Orientation And Public Affairs
- [http://www.fmf.gov.ng/ Federal Ministry of Finance] official site
- [http://www.budgetoffice.gov.ng/ Budget Office]official site
- [http://www.secngr.org/ Securities & Exchange Commission] official site
- [http://www.cenbank.org/ Central Bank of Nigeria] official site
- [http://www.dmonigeria.com/ Debt Management Office] official site
- [http://www.efccnigeria.org/ Economic and Financial Crimes Commission] official site
- [http://www.ncc.gov.ng/index_e.htm/ Nigerian Communications Commission] official site
- [http://www.fmst.gov.ng/ Federal Ministry of Science and Technology] official site
- [http://www.nitda.org/ National Information Technology Development Agency] official site
- [http://www.rmrdc.gov.ng/ Raw Materials Research Development Council] official site
- [http://www.fct.gov.ng/ Ministry of Federal Capital Territory] official site
- [http://www.fmind.gov.ng/ Federal Ministry of Industry] official site
- [http://www.sononline-ng.org/ Standards Organisation of Nigeria] official site
- [http://www.nigerianeconomy.com/ National Planning Commission] official site
- [http://www.nigeriandatabank.org/ National Databank] official site
- [http://www.bosng.org/ Federal Office of Statistics] official site
- [http://www.cac.gov.ng/ Corporate Affairs commission] official site
- [http://www.pencom-ng.com/ National Pension Commission] official site
- [http://www.bpeng.org/ Bureau of Public Enterprises] official site
- [http://www.nnpc-nigeria.com/ Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation] official site News
- [http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/ The Guardian] daily newspaper
- [http://www.newswatchngr.com/ Newswatch] weekly news magazine
- [http://www.thisdayonline.com/ This Day] daily newspaper
- [http://www.vanguardngr.com/ Vanguard] daily newspaper
- [http://www.sunnewsonline.com Daily Sun] Entertainment-oriented Newspaper Overviews
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html CIA World Factbook - Nigeria]
- [http://www.state.gov/p/af/ci/ni/ US Department of State - Nigeria] includes Background Notes and Country Study Communities
- [http://www.nairaland.com Nairaland Forum] Discussion forum for Nigerians.
- [http://www.naijaryders.com Naijaryders] Old and established forum.
- [http://www.nigerianentertainment.com/forums Nigerian Entertainment] Another discussion forum for Nigerians and non-Nigerians. Directories
- [http://www.NigerianYellowPages.com Nigerian Yellow Pages] Nigerian Yellow Pages, Business Directories
- [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Nigeria.html Columbia University Libraries - Nigeria] directory category of the WWW-VL
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Nigeria Open Directory Project - Nigeria] directory category
- [http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/nigeria.html Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Nigeria] directory category
- [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Nigeria/ Yahoo! - Nigeria] directory category Category:African Union member states Category:Peace and Security Council zh-min-nan:Nigeria ko:나이지리아 ms:Nigeria ja:ナイジェリア simple:Nigeria

2004

2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:
- International Year of Rice (by the United Nations)
- International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO)
- 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization)
- Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in 2004 for a description of the state of the world in this year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.
Events

January

- January 1 - Pervez Musharraf gets a vote of confidence from an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the provincial assemblies, confirming him as President of Pakistan until 2007.
- January 3 - Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, killing all 148 aboard.
- January 4 - Mikhail Saakashvili wins the presidential elections in Georgia.
- January 4 -NASA's MER-A (Spirit) lands on Mars.
- January 8 - Queen Elizabeth II christens the RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, currently the largest ocean liner in the world.
- January 13 - An Uzbekistan Airways plane crashes in Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent, killing 37.
- January 22 - The European Union bans the import of poultry from Thailand, as bird flu spreads throughout Southeast Asia.
- January 24 - NASA's MER-B (Opportunity) lands on Mars.
- January 27 - The British government narrowly wins a House of Commons vote on the proposed introduction of tuition top-up fees in British universities.
- January 28 - The findings of the Hutton Inquiry are published in London. The British Government is found not to have falsified information in the "sexed up dossier". The report criticises the BBC's role in the death of David Kelly, a weapons expert on Iraq.
- January 28 - At a hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, it is revealed that the September 11, 2001, terrorists used Mace (a brand of tear gas) or pepper spray in overpowering the flight crew of American Airlines Flight 11.
February

- February 1 - A hajj stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 251 pilgrims.
- February 3 - The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- February 6 - A suicide bomber kills 41 people on a metro car in Moscow.
- February 7 - Several leaders of Abnaa el-Balad arrested in Israel.
- February 10 - At least 50 people killed in a car bomb attack on a police recruitment centre south of Baghdad.
- February 10 - The French National Assembly votes to pass a law banning religious items and clothing from schools.
- February 12 - Same sex marriage in the United States: The City and County of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an act of civil disobedience.
- February 13 - Scientists in South Korea announce the cloning of 30 human embryos.
- February 14 - Riots break out between New South Wales Police and Aboriginal residents of Redfern, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
- February 18 - A train carrying a convoy of petrol, fertiliser, and sulfur derails and explodes in Iran, killing 320 people.
- February 20 - Conservatives win a majority in the Iranian parliament election.
- February 24 - 6.5 Richter scale earthquake in Northern Morocco hits in the Rif mountains near the city of Al Hoceima - over 400 dead. Ait Kamara is destroyed. 517 dead.
- February 25- Ash Wednesday. Also, the religious docudrama, The Passion of the Christ was released.
- February 26 - The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.
- February 26 - Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- February 29 - 2004 Haiti rebellion: Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as president of Haiti. The chief justice of the Haitian Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, is sworn in as interim president.
- February 29 - The film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson wins 11 Academy Awards in every category it was nominated.
March

- March 2 - John Kerry effectively clinches the 2004 U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination by winning nine out of 10 "Super Tuesday" primaries and caucuses.
- March 2 - NASA announces that the Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity), has confirmed that the area of Mars they landed in was once drenched in water.
- March 10 - Five British men released from detention at Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay land at RAF Brize Norton. Four are immediately arrested for questioning.
- March 11 - Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid kill 190 people.
- March 12 - Following the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, millions of protesters take to the streets of Spanish cities against terrorism.
- March 14 - Two suicide bombers kill eleven Israeli civilians in Ashdod, Israel.
- March 14 - The Spanish parliamentary elections of 2004 take place. The incumbent government led by José María Aznar is defeated by the Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
- March 14 - Presidential elections in Russia are held. Vladimir Putin easily wins a second term.
- March 15 - A trio of astronomers announce they have discovered a large trans-Neptunian object, the largest object found in the solar system since Pluto was discovered in 1930. Initially designated 2003 VB₁₂, it was named 90377 Sedna in late September.
- March 15 - The new Spanish government announces that it will withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops in Iraq.
- March 17 - Organized violence breaks out over two days in Kosovo. Nineteen people are killed, 139 Serbian homes are burned, schools and businesses are vandalized, and over 30 orthodox monasteries and churches are burned and destroyed.
- March 19 - The UN launches a corruption investigation due to the scandal over its Iraqi Oil for Food program.
- March 20 - President Chen Shui-bian wins the Taiwanese presidential election by 0.2% of the vote. The day before, he and Vice President Annette Lu were 'shot'. Lien Chan refuses to concede and demands a recount. A controversial 'peace referendum' opposed by the People's Republic of China is invalidated.
- March 21 - The 2004 Malaysian general election takes place. The incumbent Barisan Nasional party wins 198 out of 219 seats in the Malaysian Parliament.
- March 21 - Tony Saca is elected President of El Salvador (inauguration June 1).
- March 22 - Palestinians protest in the streets after an Israeli helicopter gunship fires a missile at the entourage of Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City, killing Yassin and 7 others.
- March 25 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi, in return for the dismantling of Libya's WMD programme in December 2003 - the first time a major western leader has visited the nation in several decades.
- March 28 - In France, the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin suffers a stunning and unprecedented defeat in regional elections. The first ever South Atlantic Hurricane makes landfall in South Brazil on the state of Santa Catarina, the Hurricane is dubbed Hurricane Catarina.
- March 29 - The Republic of Ireland bans smoking in all enclosed work places including: restaurants, pubs and bars.
- March 29 - Largest expansion of NATO to date, allowing Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia into the organization.
- March 31 - Four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq.
April

- April 1 - Faroese Prime Minister's Office announces that from then on the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office would use a new version of the Faroese Coat of Arms. The colours were inspired from the Merkið (flag) and yellow/gold was added. The new Coat of Arms depicts a Ram on a blue shield ready to defend. It can be used by the Government Ministries and by Faroese embassies, but some still use older versions of the Coat of Arms. Coat of Arms
- April 3 - A bomb explosion in a Madrid flat kills a Spanish policeman and five terrorists suspected of responsibility for the Madrid train bombings on March 11.
- April 4 - Serious fighting breaks out in Najaf, Sadr City, and Basra in Iraq as Shia insurgents supporting Muqtada al-Sadr rise against coalition forces.
- April 5 - Queen Elizabeth II begins a state visit to France to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.
- April 8 - Darfur conflict: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
- April 8 - Three Japanese citizens are taken hostage in Iraq.
- April 8 - Former Japanese famous economist, professor at Waseda University graduate school Kazuhide Uekusa was arrested on the escalator of JR Shinagawa Station because of trying to peep under high school girl's skirt with his hand mirror.
- April 16 - India defeats Pakistan in their first cricket tour in 14 years.
- April 17 - Israeli helicopters fire missiles at a convoy of vehicles in the Gaza Strip, killing the Gaza leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi.
- April 20 - In Iraq, 12 mortars were fired on Abu Ghraib Prison by insurgents. Twenty two detainees were killed and 92 wounded. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-20-iraq_x.htm]
- April 21 - Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed an Israeli nuclear weapons programme in the 1980s, is released from prison in Israel after an 18 year term for treason.
- April 22 - Two trains carrying explosives and fuel collide in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, killing 161 people, injuring 1,300 and destroying thousands of homes.
- April 22 - The last coal mine in France closes, ending nearly 300 years of coal mining.
- April 25 - Referenda on a United Nations plan, which proposes to re-unite the island of Cyprus, take place in both the Greek and Turkish parts. Although the Turks vote in favour, the Greeks reject the proposal.
- April 28 - Abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq is revealed on the television show 60 Minutes II.
May

- May 1 - the largest expansion to date of the European Union takes place, extending the Union by 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus.
- May 6 - The final episode of Friends airs on NBC, drawing an estimated 52 million viewers in North America.
- May 8 - Would-be "Saudi Princess" "Antoinette Millard" surfaces in New York City and claims that muggers had stolen jewels worth of $262.000 from her (she later proves to be an impostor).
- May 9 - Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov is killed by landmine placed under a VIP stage during a World War II memorial parade in Grozny.
- May 9 - Team of Canada won the World Ice Hockey Championship in Prague.
- May 10 - The 2004 Philippine presidential and legislative elections take place. Incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wins the presidency.
- May 11 - An explosion destroys a plastics factory in Glasgow, UK, killing nine people and injuring over a hundred.
- May 12 - An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaida on a web-distributed video.
- May 13 - In India, the Congress Party wins a surprise victory in the elections to the Lok Sabha.
- May 14 - Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, marries Australian Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen.
- May 17 - Ezzedine Salim, holder of the rotating leadership of the Iraqi Governing Council, is killed in a bomb blast in Baghdad.
- May 17 - Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Judicial Court (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health).
- May 19 - Tony Blair is hit with a purple flour bomb in the chamber of the House of Commons during a session of Prime Minister's Questions.
- May 19 - Jeremy Sivits pleads guilty in a court-martial in connection with alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
- May 23 - A section of the ceiling in Terminal 2E at Paris's Charles de Gaulle International Airport collapses, claiming at least six lives.
- May 23 - Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visits North Korea to secure the release of the families of the nine abducted Japanese citizens returned earlier.
- May 26 - Terry Nichols is convicted by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
- May 29 - Dedication of the National World War II Memorial takes place in Washington, DC.
- May 30 - Thousands of people in Hong Kong take to the streets to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
June

- June 1 - Twelve-year-old Satomi Mitarai, a Japanese schoolgirl attending Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo, Japan is murdered. Her killer, an 11-year-old classmate identified by Japanese authorities as "Girl A", becomes the basis for the Nevada-tan Internet meme.
- June 4 - Marvin Heemeyer destroys many local buildings with a home-made tank in Grancby, Colorado
- June 5 - Former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, dies at age 93.
- June 6 - The 60th anniversary of D-Day is remembered by world leaders.
- June 7 - Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames in 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 8 - The first transit of Venus since 1882 occurs; the next one will occur in 2012.
- June 8 - The G8 Summit takes place over the next 2 days on Sea Island, in Georgia, USA.
- June 8 - The pickled heart of Louis XVII of France is buried in the royal crypt at Saint-Denis.
- June 11 - Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The decision came on the third anniversary of the execution of his co-defendant, Timothy James McVeigh, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- June 11 - After the first presidential state funeral since 1973, President Ronald Wilson Reagan is laid to rest at Simi Valley, California, at the site of the Reagan Presidential Library.
- June 12 - A 1.3 kg chondrite type meteorite struck a house in Ellerslie, New Zealand causing serious damage but no injuries.Ellerslie, New Zealand
- June 15 - The Detroit Pistons upset the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2004 NBA Finals, four games to one.
- June 16 - The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (or "9/11 Commission") issues an initial report of its findings.
- June 21 - SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately-funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
- June 28 - Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains collided in a rural area outside of San Antonio, Texas. Forty cars were derailed, including one chlorine car, and three people died, another 50 people were hospitalized because of exposure to the gas.
- June 28 - The U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq transfers sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.
- June 28 - Canadian election: The Liberal Party, led by Paul Martin, is reduced to a minority government, after holding a majority since November 1993.
- June 30 - The preliminary hearings begin in Iraq in the trial of former president Saddam Hussein, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
July

- July 1 - The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrives at Saturn.
- July 4 - Groundbreaking of Freedom Tower at Ground Zero in New York City.
- July 4 - The Euro 2004 final between Portugal and Greece takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. Greece wins the match 1:0.
- July 22 - The Old Bridge of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina is reconstructed and reopened after being destroyed by Bosnian Croat forces on November 9, 1993.
- July 25 - Over 100,000 opponents to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004 participate in a human chain from Gush Katif, to the Western Wall, Jerusalem (90 kilometers).
- July 25 - Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas wins an unprecedented 6th consecutive Tour de France cycling title.
August

- August 1 - Supermarket fire in Asunción, Paraguay, kills about 400 people and leaves over 100 missing.
- August 3 - Statue of Liberty reopens after security improvements.
- August 6 - A United Nations report that blames the government of Sudan for crimes against humanity in Darfur is released.
- August 12 - Singapore's prime minister Goh Chok Tong hands over his position to Lee Hsien Loong.
- August 13 - The 2004 Summer Olympics begin in Athens. They end on August 29.
- August 13 - Hurricane Charley kills 27 people in Florida after killing four in Cuba and one in Jamaica. Charley made landfall near Cayo Costa, FL as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley was the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
- August 16 - Severe flooding in the village of Boscastle in Cornwall.
- August 18 - In Dublin, Ireland the Dublin Port Tunnel excavation works were completed and the final tunnel boring machine breakthrough ceremony took place.
- August 21 - A series of blasts rocks a rally of an opposition party in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing at least 13 people.
- August 22 - Armed robbers steal Edvard Munch's The Scream, Madonna and other paintings from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.
- August 24 - Two airliners in Russia, carrying a total of 89 passengers, crash within minutes of each other after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, leaving no survivors. Authorities suspect suicide attacks by rebels from Chechnya to be the cause of the crashes.
- August 29 - Around 200,000 protesters demonstrate in New York City against President George W. Bush and his government, ahead of the 2004 Republican National Convention.
- August 31 - Two suicide attacks on buses in Beer Sheva, Israel, kill at least 16 people and injure at least 60. Hamas claims responsibility for the attacks.
- August 31 - A woman commits a suicide attack near a subway station in northern Moscow, Russia, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 50. Authorities hold Chechen rebels responsible.
September

- September 1 - Chechen rebels take between 1,000 and 1,500 people hostage, mostly children, in a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia. The hostage-takers demand the release of Chechen rebels imprisoned in neighbouring Ingushetia and the independence of Chechnya from Russia.
- September 2 - The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1559 calling for the removal of all foreign troops from Lebanon. This measure is largely aimed at Syrian troops.
- September 3 - Russian forces end the siege at a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia. At least 335 people (among which at least 32 of the approximately 40 hostage-takers) have been killed and at least 700 people have been injured.
- September 3 - Hurricane Frances makes landfall in Florida. After killing two people in the Bahamas, Hurricane Frances killed ten people in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
- September 7 - The Scottish Parliament meets in the new Scottish Parliament Building for the first time.
- September 7 - Hurricane Ivan passes directly over Grenada, killing 37 people. It passes over other Caribbean islands over the next two days, killing 5 people in Venezuela, 4 in the Dominican Republic, 1 in Tobago and 20 in Jamaica.
- September 8 - In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems.
- September 9 - A bomb blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, kills eleven people and injures up to 100 people.
- September 13 - The Assault Weapons Ban expires.
- September 15 - Davíð Oddsson prime minister of Iceland steps down after serving as prime minister since April 30 1991. Oddson becomes foreign minister as his foreign minister Halldór Ásgrímsson becomes prime minister.
- September 15 - Security at the Palace of Westminster is compromised when the House of Commons is stormed by a small group of protestors during a debate about fox hunting.
- September 15 - "Girl A" is sentenced to be institutionalized due to the murder of classmate Satomi Mitarai.
- September 16 - Hurricane Ivan strikes Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 in Alabama and Florida.
- September 17 - 2004 Summer Paralympics commences in Athens, Greece.
- September 17 - Mexico and Japan finish the two year long negotiations and sign a Free Trade Agreement in Mexico City.
- September 23 - Mount St. Helens becomes active again.
- September 23 - Tropical Storm Ivan, having come around and reformed in the Gulf of Mexico, makes its final landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, to little effect. In total, the storm killed 92 people.
- September 25 - Hurricane Jeanne makes landfall near Hutchinson Island, FL. In all, Jeanne killed over 3,000, most in Haiti.
- September 29 - First Ansari X-Prize flight of SpaceShipOne.
October

- October 4 - Two car bombs kill at least 16 people and injure dozens more in Baghdad.
- October 5 - A fire breaks out on the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi leaving it stranded without power in the North Atlantic ocean, off the north coast of Ireland. One crewmember is killed.
- October 8 - Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage held by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an Iraqi insurgent, is killed after a failed escape attempt.
- October 8 - Suicide bombers detonate two bombs at the Red Sea resort of Taba, Egypt, killing 34 people, mainly Israeli tourists and Egyptian workers.
- October 9 - Queen Elizabeth II opens the new Scottish Parliament Building in a ceremony in Edinburgh
- October 9 - Incumbent Prime Minister of Australia John Howard leads the Liberal-National coalition to victory over the Labor Party led by Mark Latham in federal elections.
- October 9 - Direct elections for president held for the first time in Afghanistan. Interim president Hamid Karzai is eventually declared the winner.
- October 10 - Abdullahi Yusuf is chosen as the new transitional president of Somalia.
- October 14 - Prince Norodom Sihamoni is chosen as the new king of Cambodia.
- October 16 - The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 19-8 in Game 3 of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series. The game, which pushed the Yankees to a 3 games to none series lead, sets a record for longest nine inning baseball game.
- October 17 - A referendum in Belarus approves the lifting of constitutional term limits for the presidency.
- October 18 - Three men attack Greek journalist Philippos Syrigos in Athens and seriously wound him
- October 19 - General Khin Nyunt is replaced by Lieutenant-General Soe Win as Prime Minister of Myanmar.
- October 20 - The Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, completing an unprecedented comeback from three games to none down.
- October 20 - Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Missouri, killing 13 people, and injuring 2.
- October 20 - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono becomes the first directly-elected President of Indonesia.
- October 21 - The Ministry of Defence approves the deployment of the Black Watch regiment of the British Army to Baghdad, Iraq after a request for assistance by the U.S. government.
- October 24 - The bodies of 49 Iraqi soldiers discovered after being ambushed by insurgents.
- October 24 - Brazil successfully launches its first rocket into space.
- October 25 - Reverand Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King receive Congressional Gold Medal.
- October 26 - October 26The Cassini probe passes within 1,200km of Titan
- October 27 - Details of the discovery of a new, recent, species of fossil hominid, Homo floresiensis, from the island of Flores, Indonesia are published.
- October 27 - The Boston Red Sox sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series championship for the first time since 1918.
- October 29 - A videotape of Osama Bin Laden speaking airs on Arabic TV, in which he threatens terrorist attacks on the United States, and taunts the president, George W. Bush, over the September 11 Terrorist attacks.
- October 29 - European heads of state signed in Rome the Treaty and Final Act establishing the first European Constitution.
- October 30 - A 163 metre high radio mast in Peterborough, UK collapsed at a fire
- October 31 - Leftist candidate Tabaré Vázquez is elected President of Uruguay.
November

- November 1 - a 16 year old Palestinian, a muslim, blew himself up in an outdoor market in Tel Aviv, killing three Israelis.
- November 2 - U.S. presidential election: President George W. Bush defeats Senator John Kerry. Republicans make gains in the Peanut
- Bambara groundnut
- Hausa groundnut
- Roots and tubers:
- Apios americana
- Conopodium majus
- Dwarf ginseng
See also

- Earthnut

Railway station

in 1865.]] A train station, or railroad station (American English), or railway station (British English), is a point of call for trains, allowing the loading or unloading of goods, or allowing passengers to board and alight. Early stations were usually built with both passenger and goods facilities (though there was very often a separate freight terminal nearby, even in quite small communities). This dual purpose is less common today, and in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. Generally stations are sited next to a railway or railroad line, or form the terminus for a particular route. Usually platforms are present to allow passengers to access trains easily and safely. Platforms may be connected by subways, bridges, or level crossings to the main part of the station; passenger facilities such as shelter, ticket sales, waiting rooms and benches are partly there, partly on the platforms. The term station stop is used to differentiate a stop for a station from a stop for another reason, such as an engine change. As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations often had locomotive and rolling stock depots (including refuelling, sidings and sheds). A train station that is jointly used by several rail transport companies is sometimes called a union station, or an interchange station. Train stations colocated with other transport systems such as trams and buses may also be referred to as interchanges, as may stations offering both metro/subway and heavy rail services.

Development

bus, Japan, are often still built to a grand scale, though with steel, glass and abstract design]] The first train stations resembled tram stops, with little in the way of buildings or facilities. The first railway stations in the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830. Today Liverpool Road station is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It resembles a row of Georgian houses [http://www.msim.org.uk/galleries.asp?main=010400]. Many train stations — unsurprisingly — date from the 19th century and reflect the architecture of the time, grand in scale and size, lending prestige to the city as well as to railway operations. Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th century styles. Various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of railway stations, from those boasting grand and intricate almost baroque-style edifices, to more stark utilitarian or modern styles. Stations built more recently often have a similar feel to airports, with a cold and plain abstract style. Examples of modern stations include those on newer high-speed rail networks, such as the shinkansen in Japan and LGV lines in France. Britain boasts a new modern rail terminus at Waterloo International, the end-point for the Eurostar Channel Tunnel rail services to France and Belgium. This station will cease to be the Eurostar terminal when the new St Pancras terminal, connected to the Channel Tunnel high-speed rail link, opens in 2007.

Superlatives

The world's busiest train station, in terms of daily passenger throughput, is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. Ikebukuro Station, just minutes away, is the world's second-busiest. By train throughput, the world's busiest train station is Clapham Junction in London. The world's largest train station, in terms of floor area, is Nagoya Station in Nagoya, Japan. However, the Nagoya Station complex incorporates two office towers and an underground shopping concourse, so the railway terminal itself is not large in comparison to others. Shinjuku Station is the second largest. In terms of platform capacity, the world's largest train station is Grand Central Terminal in New York City, USA.

Terminal stations

USA, showing the terminal trackage beyond the station building.]] Main article: terminal station A terminus is a station sited where a railway line ends or terminates. Thus, platforms can be reached without crossing tracks. Often a terminus is the final destination of a train, but not necessarily. When a train is required to travel onwards from a terminus, it must reverse out of the station to continue the trip. Various methods exist to counter this problem. The same applies if the station is not a terminus, but the train service involves reversing direction anyway. Reversing direction often causes some worry to travellers who are inexperienced and have no detailed geographic knowledge of the railway lines — one might assume the train has finished its journey and is returning to the starting location. Some travellers prefer facing forward; if possible they change place when there is a reversal of direction. In some types of carriages, train personnel (or even passengers themselves) are able to turn the seats when the train changes direction so that all travellers face forward. For more on this, see Commuter train.

Station facilities

Train stations usually include either ticket booths, or ticket machines. Ticket sales may also be combined with customer service desks or convenience stores. Many stations include some form of convenience store. Larger stations usually have fast-food or restaurant facilities. In some countries, such stations also have a bar, or pub. Other station facilities include: toilets, left-luggage, lost-and-found, departures and arrivals boards, luggage carts, waiting rooms, taxi ranks and bus bays. Larger or manned stations tend to have a greater range of facilities. A most basic station might only have platforms, though it would still be distinguished from a halt, a stopping or halting place that may not even have platforms.

Configurations of train stations

bus serves trains passing through the station. Passengers reach the island platform (on right) by a pedestrian footbridge.]] In addition to the basic configuration of a train station, various features set certain types of station apart. The first is the