Abuja: the planned capital at the foot of Aso Rock

Built from scratch in the 1980s to replace Lagos as capital, Abuja rises at the foot of an imposing granite rock formation.

The center, planned capital at the foot of Aso Rock, can be comfortably visited by taxi or rental car.

Aso Rock, a granite monolith over four hundred meters high, dominates the skyline of the capital and gives its name to the presidential palace at its foot.

A few minutes away, Nigeria's National Mosque, with its own golden dome, rises symbolically opposite the Christian National Cathedral.

Continuing, you visit Millennium Park, the city's largest public park, designed by the British architect who designed the gardens of Kew.

Toward evening, the Wuse district animates restaurants and bars in the most modern commercial zone of the capital.

Abuja was selected as the new capital in 1976 and officially inaugurated in 1991 precisely for its central geographic position, neutral with respect to ethnic and religious tensions between north and south of the country.

Aso Rock, beyond lending its name to the Nigerian presidential palace, remains a popular trekking destination for capital residents on weekends, with a trail that leads to the summit of the monolith.