| Igboland Àlà Igbo Southeastern Nigeria |
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|---|---|
| — Cultural region — | |
| Nickname(s): Biafra | |
| Igboland (green) indicated within Nigeria. | |
| Part of | Nigeria |
| - Settled | ~5000 BC |
| - Establishment of the Kingdom of Nri | ~900 AD |
| - Colonisation by the United Kingdom | 1902 |
| - Incorporation in independent Nigeria | 1960 |
| Regional capital | Enugu |
| Composed of | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Autonomous communities |
| • Group(s) | Several |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 16,000 sq mi (41,439.8 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 3,281 ft (1,000 m) |
| Population (2006 estimate)[2] | |
| • Total | 30 million + |
| • Density | 1,000/sq mi (386.1/km2) |
| Demographics | |
| • Language(s) | Igbo, Nigerian English |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
| Goddess | Ala |
Igboland, or Igbo land (Igbo: Ala Igbo or Ana Igbo), also known as the Ibo(e), Ebo(e), and Heebo Country, is a cultural region in Nigeria that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Igbo people. Igboland takes up a large part of southeastern Nigeria mostly on the eastern side of the Niger River and further spreads westwards over the Niger to the regions of Aniocha, Ndokwa, Ukwuani, and Ika.
The oldest pieces of pottery found in Igboland were from the Okigwe-Nsukka axis dating back to 4,500 B.C.[3] The Kingdom of Nri, rising around the 10th century, is credited for the foundation of Igboland's culture and it is the oldest kingdom in Nigeria. Many other kingdom's were founded after Nri, either directly or indirectly as a result of Nri. The most powerful kingdom of these was the Aro Confederacy. Igboland was conquered by the British after several decades of resistance on all front's; some of the most famous of the resistance includes the Ekumeku Movement, the Anglo-Aro War, and the Igbo Women's War.
Following the independence of Nigeria from the United Kingdom, most of Igboland was part of the Eastern Region and later formed the core of the secessionist Republic of Biafra. In Nigeria today, Igboland is roughly made up of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and parts of Delta and Rivers State.[4] Small parts of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue and Bayelsa State make up the rest of Igboland. There are over 30 million people in Igboland and with a density ranging from 1000 per sq. mile in high density areas and 350 per sq. mile in low density areas,[5] it could be the densest area in Africa after the Nile Valley.[6][7] Together it has an area of some 15,800 to 16,000 square miles.[1][8]
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