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Difficulty: MediumClimate and Climatic Regions of Nigeria

Arrange the following Nigerian towns in order from SOUTH to NORTH, corresponding to the decrease in mean annual rainfall (starting from the town with the highest mean annual rainfall to the town with the lowest):

  1. 1Calabar
  2. 2Enugu
  3. 3Kaduna
  4. 4Maiduguri

Answer

The correct order from south to north (highest to lowest rainfall) is Calabar, Enugu, Kaduna, and Maiduguri.
Mean annual rainfall in Nigeria decreases consistently from south to north as distance from the Atlantic moisture source increases. Calabar is on the southern coast in the Sub-Equatorial climate zone and receives the highest rainfall (exceeding 3,000 mm). Moving northwards into the Tropical Hinterland zone, Enugu receives around 1,800 mm. Further north in the Tropical Continental (Sudan Savanna) zone, Kaduna receives about 1,200 mm. Maiduguri, located in the far northeast within the Sahel zone, receives the lowest annual rainfall (below 600 mm). Thus, the correct sequence from highest to lowest rainfall (south to north) is Calabar, Enugu, Kaduna, and Maiduguri.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Understand the climatic control over rainfall distribution in Nigeria
Rainfall in Nigeria is driven by the moist maritime Tropical (mT) air mass from the Atlantic Ocean. Its influence weakens progressively as it moves inland toward the north.
Coastal regions in the south remain under rain-bearing air masses for 9–10 months, whereas northern regions experience shorter wet seasons of 3–5 months.
2
Match each town to its latitudinal position and annual rainfall amount
Calabar (coastal south, >3,000 mm) > Enugu (southern hinterland, ~1,800 mm) > Kaduna (northern savanna, ~1,200 mm) > Maiduguri (far northeast Sahel, <600 mm).
Mean annual rainfall decreases systematically along a South-to-North gradient in Nigeria.
3
Formulate the correct sequence
Calabar → Enugu → Kaduna → Maiduguri
This sequence correctly reflects both the geographic locations from south to north and the corresponding decrease in total annual rainfall.

Key Concept

South-to-North rainfall gradient and climatic zone distribution in Nigeria
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Topics

Climate and Climatic Regions of Nigeria

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