Ilorin, the state capital of Kwara State is located on latitude 8º30’ and 8º50’N and longitude 4º20’ and 4º35’E of the equator. Ilorin city occupies an area of about 468sqkm and it is situated in the transitional zone within the forest and the guinea savannah regions of Nigeria. It is about 300 kilometers away from Lagos and 500 kilometers away from Abuja the federal capital of Nigeria. The climate of Ilorin is tropical under the influence of the two trade winds prevailing over the country. Ilorin metropolis experiences two climatic seasons i.e. rainy and dry season. The rainy season is between March and November and the annual rainfall varies from 1000 mm to 1500 mm, with the peak between September and early October. Also, the mean monthly temperature is generally high throughout the year. The daily average temperatures are in January with 25 ºC, May 27.5 ºC and September 22.5 ºC.
The vegetation type found here is derived savannah with riparian forest along the river bank. The drainage system of Ilorin is dendritic in pattern due to its characteristics. The most important river is Asa River which flows in south-northern direction. Asa River occupies a fairly wide valley and goes a long way to divide Ilorin into two parts namely the Eastern and the western part.
The major rivers are Asa, Agba, Alalubosa, Okun, Osere and Aluko. Some of these rivers drain into river Niger or river Asa (Oyegun, 1986). The general elevation of land on the western part varies from 273 m to 364 m (i.e. 900 to 1/200 ft) above sea level. To the north of the western part of Ilorin exists an isolated hill known as Sobi hill which is about 394 m high above sea level.
The state has River Niger as its natural boundary along its northern and eastern margins and shares a common internal boundary with Niger State in the north, Kogi State in the east, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States in the south and an international boundary with the Republic of Benin in the west.
It is therefore appropriate to say that the state is indeed a middle belt state serving as a ‘gateway’ between the North and the South and in fact a “melting point” for the northern and southern cultures n of a relatively flat and undulating land with interine and lacustrine deposits. spersed hills and valleys in parts of Baruten, Kaiama and Moro local government areas.
The Climate: The climate of the state is characterised by most spectacular landforms in the state include both the wet and dry seasons, each last Sobi hill at the outskirts of llorin, both OkeAgbanna ing for about six months.
The rainy season begins hill and Owu waterfalls in lfelodun, and a range of at about the end of March and lasts till October, hills near Kaiama town. The major rivers in the while the dry season begins in November and ends state include the Niger, which forms the natural in early March.
The total annual rainfall in the state ranges from 800mm to 1,200mm in the northwest and 1,000mm to 1,500mm in the southeast. The Rivers Asa, Awon, Oshin and Moro in the central state has a mean temperature of 30Â°C 35Â°C.