Maiduguri, also called Yerwa by its locals,[citation needed] is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. It is popularly called "Home of Peace". The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly with a population exceeding 1 million by 2007.
