The Segmentation of Local Government Areas: Creating a New Geography of Nigeria

Social area classifications group areas on the basis of social or socio-economic similarity into cluster units which define their demographic and social characteristics. The methods used to create these systems combine geographic thought and theory with statistical manipulations of multivariate data. The development and use of geodemographic systems appear to be restricted within developing countries. Some commentators suggest that area classifications may not offer benefits to these countries. This paper argues that the developing world has a lot to benefit from this type of geography. It presents the case of Nigeria where a classification system has been developed for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the country. Insight is provided into the variables and methodological approach that has been used to create the Nigerian system.