capital proper of the kingdom, Edo. The word "Ubinu" was later corrupted to Bini by a number of mixed ethnicities staying together at the centre, and it was then further corrupted to Benin around the year 1485 at the time when the Portuguese people started making trade relations with Oba Ewuare. Hausa-Fulani culture The Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups are said to be one of the largest ethnic groupings in Nigeria, if not the largest, with a population of over 20 million people.The Hausa and Fulani live in the northern part of Nigeria. The Hausa and Fulani are in fact different tribes, but are often counted as one due to cultural similarity. The bulk of the Hausa-Fulani population is mainly centered in and around the centres of Sokoto, Kano and Katsina, which are said to be important market centres on the southern area of the trans-Saharan caravan trade routes. Long before the arrival of the Fulani people, the Hausa had already formed and made well-organised city states; some of these states include Katsina, Daura, Kano Zazzau (Zaria), Biram, Gobir and Borno. However some of these states were conquered, taken over and re-established by the Fulani people which then led to the formation of a few other kingdoms such as Katagum, Hadejia and Gombe. The arrival of the Fulani people into Hausaland brought about great changes in the land, which included the introduction of Islam. This then ended up playing a significant role in the social life and culture of the Hausa people. In outlook, education, dress and taste, the Hausa people and their counterparts the Fulani have become a significant part of the Islamic world, this said influence still remains until the current day. The Fulani practice the art of whipping a suitor before giving his bride to him as parts of their marriage obligation, this particular obligation has helped to increase the practice of monogamy among themselves and it is called sharo. The Fulani people are also nomadic in nature; this nomadic lifestyle spread them into virtually all of West Africa. They are extremely tolerant of the languages of other people around them, leading to the suppression of theirs - especially in northern Nigeria by Hausa. The Hausas, on the other hand, are said to be very good merchants. This helped spread them to some countries around Nigeria. They have monarchs, are known for celebrating the Hawan Sallah festival,