Cross River State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, the state created on 27 May 1967 from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, by the General Yakubu Gowon regime, and has Calabar as its capital. Originally known as the South-Eastern State before being renamed in 1976, Cross River state formerly included the area that is now Akwa Ibom state, which became a distinct state in 1987.

Its name was changed to Cross River state in the 1976 state creation exercise by the then General Murtala Mohammed regime from South Eastern State. The name was derived from the Cross River, which passes through the state. The present day Akwa Ibom State was excised from it in the state creation exercise of September 1987 by the then regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. Of the 36 states in Nigeria, Cross River state is the nineteenth largest in area and 27th most populous, with an estimated population of over 3.8 million as of 2016.

History Of All States In Nigeria

Modern-day Cross River state has been inhabited by several ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily the Efik of the riverside south and Calabar; the Ekoi (Ejagham) of the inland south; the Akunakuna, Boki, Bahumono, and Yakö (Yakurr) of the central region; and the Bekwarra, Ogoja, Bette, Igede, Ukelle (Kukele) of the northern region. In the pre-colonial period, what is now Cross River state was divided between its ethnic groups with some joining the Aro Confederacy, while the Efik founded the Akwa Akpa (Old Calabar) city-state. The latter become a British protectorate in 1884, as the capital of the Oil Rivers Protectorate; but it was in the early 1900s that the Britons gained formal control of the entire area. Around the same time, the protectorate (now renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate) was incorporated into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate, which later merged into British Nigeria. After the merger, much of the modern-day Cross River state has become a center of anti-colonial resistance during the Women’s War and trade, through the international seaport at Calabar.

Which States Share Border With Cross River State?

All Nigerian States And The State They Share Borders With