Harmattan winds cause the coldest weather between December and February, with the warmest temperatures usually in the dry season months of March and April.

Also, volcanic activity 50 million years ago created numerous volcanoes and vast basaltic plateaus formed from lava flows.

This also produces regions of mainly narrow and deep valleys and pediments (surfaces made smooth by erosion) from the middle of rounded hills with sheer rock faces.

[17] Although the tourism sector is not thriving due to perennial security issues and state government failure, its natural endowments are still attractions to tourists, mostly from within Nigeria.

Natural resources in the state include: barite, bauxite, bentonite, bismuth, cassiterite, clay, coal, emeralds, fluoride, granite, iron ore, kaolin, lead / zinc, marble, molybdenite, pyrochlore, salt, tantalite / columbite, and tin / wolfram.

Colonial manipulation was from a desire to protect the railway construction and guarantee safe passage of mined tin to the coast.

The region has seen conflicts involving various actors, including jihadist insurgents like Boko Haram, as well as tensions between Muslim Hausa-Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farmers, similar to other states in Nigeria's Middle Belt.

[33] While some attacks have been attributed to Fulani herders, there have also been reports of violence by Christian militias and other local armed groups.

In recent years, Fulani communities have also suffered attacks, including incidents where armed groups have targeted Muslim herders and travelers on roads.

For example, in January 2024, a senior military officer and several soldiers were killed in Plateau State in an attack linked to ongoing communal unrest.

[36] While many portray the conflict through an ethnic and religious lens, analysts suggest that factors such as climate change, competition over land, and political instability also play significant roles.

[38] The ongoing violence in Plateau State underscores the complexity of the crisis, where multiple groups engage in attacks and retaliations, worsening instability in the region.

[42] The local government is headed by a chairman, who is the chief executive, while his cabinet consists of elected councilors who make up the legislative arm.

[43] Plateau State is also divided into 17 local government areas, each encompassing ethnic groups who share common affinities or distant bloodlines.

People from other parts of country have come to settle in the state; these include the Idoma, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Annang, Efik, Ijaw, and Bini.