Maiduguri, Nigeria

Capital City

This city of nearly 1.2 million people is not for the faint of heart. Maiduguri has been at the epicenter of Boko Haram's Islamist violence for over a decade, with the group repeatedly attacking the city and its key military base. The climate is brutally hot, with temperatures soaring past 100°F for much of the year. And the bureaucracy can be a persistent headache, with the city's property values among the highest in Nigeria. Only the most resilient and adaptable would find Maiduguri a suitable destination.