Cross River State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria; its capital is Calabar. It was created on 27 May 1967 as South-Eastern State and later took its present name. It is grouped in the South South geopolitical zone.
Cross River State was created on 27 May 1967 as South-Eastern State, one of the twelve states that replaced Nigeria's regions. It was carved from the eastern part of the former Eastern Region. It took its present name in 1976. On 23 September 1987 its western part was separated to form Akwa Ibom State. The state is named after the Cross River, which flows through it. Its capital is Calabar, and it is grouped in the South South geopolitical zone.
The state borders Benue State to the north, Ebonyi and Abia states to the west and Akwa Ibom State to the south-west. To the east it shares an international boundary with Cameroon, and to the south it reaches the Atlantic coast. It has eighteen local government areas: Abi, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Bekwarra, Biase, Boki, Calabar Municipal, Calabar South, Etung, Ikom, Obanliku, Obubra, Obudu, Odukpani, Ogoja, Yakurr and Yala. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission calls the state the "Nation's Paradise".
Before colonial rule, Wikipedia notes, the Efik founded the trading city-state of Old Calabar (Akwa Akpa). Calabar became the capital of the British Oil Rivers Protectorate in the 1880s, and the area later became part of Southern Nigeria.
Wikipedia names the Efik, Ejagham (Ekoi), Yakurr, Bahumono, Mbembe, Boki, Bekwarra, Bette, Yala, Igede and Ukelle among the state's peoples. The Efik live mainly around Calabar in the south, and many smaller groups live in the north. Igede communities are documented in the north of the state (see Connections). Tiv communities are documented at state level. Wikipedia's language list by LGA names Tiv in Obanliku, Obudu, Bekwarra and Yala. Otank (Utanga), a Tivoid language, is spoken on the border with Benue State.
Farming is central to the economy. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and Wikipedia both name cocoa, oil palm and rubber. The Commission adds rice, cassava, bananas and pineapples, and Wikipedia adds yams, cocoyams, cashews and plantains. Wikipedia also points to tourism, including the Obudu Mountain Resort, the Calabar Carnival and the state's forest reserves.
The 2006 census counted 2,892,988 people, according to National Population Commission figures reproduced by City Population. Other published figures are listed below with their sources. Nigerian census results are disputed.
The Cross River crosses the interior of the state and forms much of its western border before reaching the sea through the Cross River estuary near Calabar. Wikipedia describes a forested interior with the Oban Hills and several protected areas, including the Cross River National Park. In the north, the high Obudu plateau is noticeably cooler than the rest of the state. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission divides the state into three agricultural zones, Ogoja, Ikom and Calabar.
The area is given as 21,787 square kilometres by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and 22,112 square kilometres by Statoids. Both figures are recorded below.
- 27 May 1967 — Cross River State was created from Eastern Region
- 3 February 1976 — Renamed from South-Eastern State to Cross River State
- 23 September 1987 — Akwa Ibom State was created from Cross River State
Tiv · Igede
Tiv · Igede
Benue State · Ebonyi State · Abia State · Akwa Ibom State
- South-Eastern State
Each figure is shown with its year and source. Where sources differ, all figures are listed.
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,406,200 | 2022 | Cross River (State, Nigeria) – Population Statistics |
| Population | 2,892,988 | 2006 | Cross River (State, Nigeria) – Population Statistics |
| Population | 2,888,966 | 2006 | States of Nigeria |
| Population | 1,911,297 | 1991 | Cross River (State, Nigeria) – Population Statistics |
| Population | 4,097,143 | — | Cross River State |
| Area km² | 21,787 | — | Cross River State |
| Area km² | 22,112 | — | States of Nigeria |
- Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 — Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 · link
- States of Nigeria — Gwillim Law, Statoids · link
- List of Nigerian states by date of statehood — Wikipedia · link
- Cross River State — Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) · link
- States of Nigeria — Wikipedia · link
- Country Guidance: Nigeria — General remarks — European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), February 2019 · link
- Akwa Ibom State — Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) · link
- About Us – Government of Cross River State — Cross River State Government · link
- Cross River State — Wikipedia · link
- Cross River (State, Nigeria) – Population Statistics — Thomas Brinkhoff, City Population · link
Last updated 24 September 2026. Spotted an error or have a source to add? Tell us.