Ebonyi State

Ebonyi
State
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Salt of the Nation Igbo: Mbà ùmẹ́ ànị̀
Location of Ebonyi State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°15′N 8°05′E / 6.250°N 8.083°E / 6.250; 8.083
Country	Nigeria
Date created	1 October 1996
Capital	Abakaliki
Government
• Body	Government of Ebonyi State
• Governor	Francis Nwifuru (APC)
• Deputy Governor	Patricia Obila (APC)
• Legislature Speaker	Ebonyi State House of Assembly Moses Odunwa
• Senators	C: Joseph Ogba (PDP) N: Sam Egwu (PDP) S: Michael Ama Nnachi (PDP)
• Representatives	List
Area
• Total	6,400 km2 (2,500 sq mi)
• Rank	33rd of 36
Population  (2006 Census)
• Total	2,176,947
• Estimate  (2022)	3,242,500[1]
• Rank	29 of 36
• Density	340/km2 (880/sq mi)
Demonym	Ebonyian
GDP (PPP)
• Year	2023
• Total	$12.2 billion[2]
• Per capita	$3,634[2]
Time zone	UTC+01 (WAT)
postal code	840001
Dialing Code	+234
ISO 3166 code	NG-EB
HDI (2018)	0.567[3] medium · 20th of 37
Language	Igbo English
Website	http://www.ebonyistate.gov.ng/

Ebonyi State (Igbo: Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the southwest. Named for the Abonyi (Aboine) River—a large part of which is in the state's south—Ebonyi State was formed from parts of Abia and Enugu state in 1996 and has its capital in Abakaliki.

One of the smallest states of Nigeria, Ebonyi is the 33rd largest in area and 29th most populous with an estimated population of nearly 2.9 million as of 2016.^[4] Geographically, the state is divided between the Cross–Niger transition forests in the far south and the drier Guinean forest–savanna mosaic in the rest of the state. The other important geographical features are the Cross River and its tributary, the River Aloma, which flow along Ebonyi's southeastern and eastern borders, respectively; while fellow Cross River tributaries, the Abonyi (Aboine), Asu, and Eze Aku rivers run through the state's interior. There are other smaller rivers like Ichelle and igbe which also form boundaries between Benue and Ebonyi States to the West.

After independence in 1960, the area of now-Ebonyi was a part of the post-independence Eastern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the East Central State. Less than two months afterwards, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede in the three-year long Nigerian Civil War with Ebonyi as a part of the secessionist state of Biafra. At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the East Central State was reformed until 1976 when the state's north became Anambra State and the south became Imo State. Fifteen years afterwards, Anambra and Imo states were divided with their eastern parts becoming Enugu State and Abia State, respectively. It was not until 1996, when Enugu State's east and Abia's northeast were split off and joined to form Ebonyi State.^[5]

Economically, Ebonyi State is based around agriculture, mainly of yams, rice, oil palm, and cassava crops. A key minor industry is mining due to lead, zinc, and limestone deposits around Abakaliki, and locally hand-made baskets of various sizes at Ntezi.^[6] Ebonyi has the joint-twentieth highest Human Development Index in the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education.^[7]