Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria, with an estimated population of 2.5 million. When it was decided to move the national capital from Lagos in 1976, a capital territory was chosen for a new city, located near the centre of the country. This "planned" city is located in the Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, an attempt to reduce any real or perceived regional bias in a country which was formed by amalgamation of various tribal territories and emirates, under colonial influence.