Jos

Jos jôs [key], city (1991 est. pop. 182,000), central Nigeria, on the Jos Plateau. It is a mining center for tin ore, which is processed in the city, and a collection point for hides and skins and for market-garden produce to be sent to Lagos. It is also a resort. Jos was developed in the early 20th cent. by the British as an administrative center and mining town. The railroad reached here in 1927. The city and surrounding region has at times been the scene of deadly religious riots between Christians and Muslims. The Jos Museum includes a collection of Nok terra-cotta figurines (see African art). The UNESCO School for Museum Technicians is attached to the museum, and the Univ. of Jos (1975), which has a teaching hospital, is located there.

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