Zangon Kataf


Zangon Kataf is a Local Government Area in southern Kaduna State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Zonkwa. It is also a name of a town in the chiefdom of the Atyap. It has an area of 2,668 km² and a population of 318,991 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 802.

Boundaries

Zangon Kataf Local Government Area shares boundaries with Kachia Local Government Area to the west, Kajuru Local Government Area to the northwest, Kauru Local Government Area to the north and northeast, Kaura Local Government Area to the southeast, Jema'a Local Government Area to the south and Jaba Local Government Area to southwest respectively.

Admistrative Subdivisions

The Local Government Area is divided into the following administrative subdivides or electoral wards:
Zangon Kataf Local Government Area according to the March 21, 2006 national population census was put at 318,991. Its population was projected by the to be 430,600 by March 21, 2016.

People

The people predominantly belong to the Atyap Ethno-Linguistic group. These people include: the Bajju, Atyap proper, Bakulu, Anghan and A̱tyeca̠rak. There are also the Hausa settler elements and other Nigerian peoples settling among the aboriginal people.

Traditional States

There are four chiefdoms in the Local Government Area, namely:
1. Bajju chiefdom, headed by the A̱gwam Ba̱jju, A̱gwam Nuhu Bature A̱chi. Headquarters at Zonkwa.
2. Atyap chiefdom, headed by the A̱gwatyap, A̱gwam Dominic Gambo KSM. Headquarters at A̠tak Njei, Zangon Kataf.
3. Akulu chiefdom, headed by the Agwom Akulu, Agwom Yohanna Sidi Kukah. Headquarters at Kumuru.
4. Anghan chiefdom, headed by Ngbia Anghan, Ngbia Adam Alkali. Headquarters at Fadan Kamantan.

Language

The five indigenous people found in the Local Government Area speak related dialects of a common language, Tyap. The largest of them is Jju, closely followed by Tyap Proper, then by Kulu, then by Nghan and then by Tyeca̱rak. However, due to the British colonial influence, Hausa language is also widely spoken.

Cuisine

The major cultural delicacies enjoyed by the people of Zangon Kataf include:
The main non-alcoholic drinks synonymous with this region is known as ta̱bwai in the Tyap tongue.
The region has also for long been synonymous for the brewing of the alcoholic drink known as a̱kan in Tyap proper and Tyeca̠rak, dikan in Jju and burukutu in Hausa, although its brewing has been banned in some areas.