Igbo-Ora is a town in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria, situated 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Lagos. As of 2001, the population of the town was approximately 60,000 people. The unusually large number of twin births in the region have earned the town the nickname Twin Capital of the World.
This phenomenon of a large number of twin births is not unique to Igbo-Ora; it has also been observed in the town of Kodinji in India and Cândido Godói in Brasil. In Igbo-Ora, research has suggested that the multiple births could be related to the eating habits of the women in the region.[1] Though no direct relation between dietary intake and twin births has been proved, a research study carried out at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital has suggested that a chemical found in Igbo-Ora women and the peelings of a widely consumed tuber (yams) could be responsible.
There is of course the possible explanation that the large number of twins being born here could simply be a matter of genetics.