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Onitsha
Onitsha (Nigeria )
Onitsha
Onitsha
Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°10′N 6°47′E / 6.167, 6.783
Country Nigeria
State Anambra State
Population (1991)
 - Total 328,000

Onitsha is a city, commercial centre and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeast Nigeria. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Nigeria is currently divided into 36 states and one federal capital territory Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its state theme is "home for all" Its boundaries are formed by Delta State to the west Imo A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo The Niger River (ˈnaɪdʒɚ NYE-jer) is the principal River of western Africa, extending about 4180 km (2600 miles Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its state theme is "home for all" Its boundaries are formed by Delta State to the west Imo Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal As of 1991 Onitsha had an estimated population of 328,300. [1]

Contents

History

Immigrants from the Kingdom of Benin are believed to have founded Onitsha in the 16th century, which was originally called Ado N'Idu. The Benin Empire or Edo Empire (1440-1897 was a large pre-colonial African state of modern Nigeria. [2] It soon became capital of an Igbo Kingdom. The Igbo [iɡɓo] ( Igbo: Igbo, sometimes Nd'Igbo) sometimes referred to (usually formerly as the Ibo, Eboe, Ebo In 1857 British traders in palm oil established a permanent station in the city, and Christian missionaries soon followed. Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the Fruit of the Arecaceae Elaeis Oil palm. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. In 1884 Onitsha became part of a British protectorate. Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect The British colonial government and Christian missionaries penetrated most of Igboland to set up their administration, schools and churches through the river port at Onitsha. A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes.

Historically, the former Eastern Nigeria did not experience a prolonged period of indigenous urbanisation like Ibadan in the southwest or Kano and Zaria in the north. Onitsha became an important trading port for the Royal Niger company in the mid 1850's. Following the abolition of slavery, trade in palm kernels and other cash crops boomed around this river port. Immigrants from the hinterland were drawn to the emerging boom town as did the British traders who settled there and coordinated the palm oil and cash crops trade. In 1965, a bridge was built across the Niger River to replace the ferry crossing,[1] and plans are in place to add a second bridge as well. [3]

Trade soared between the east and west of Nigeria. This made Onitsha the strategic gateway for trade between the former eastern and western regions. The Biafran war years brought widespread devastation to Onitsha. The subsequent oil boom years brought a huge influx of immigrants into the city. The war-damaged facilities, still under repair, could not cope with the pace of the rural-urban exodus into the city. Slums consequently began to emerge from the hasty haphazard building construction to accommodate the huge influx. A slum, as defined by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security It lies at a major east-west crossing point of the Niger River, and occupies the northernmost point of the river regularly navigable by large vessels. The Niger River (ˈnaɪdʒɚ NYE-jer) is the principal River of western Africa, extending about 4180 km (2600 miles These factors have historically made Onitsha a major centre for trade between the coastal regions and the north, as well as between eastern and western Nigeria. Onitsha possesses one of the very few road bridge crossings of the mile-wide Niger river.

Economy

Modern day industrial products include textiles, beer, mineral water, shoes, lumber, tyres, nails and printed publications. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea In many places mineral water is often colloquially used to mean Carbonated water (which is usually carbonated mineral water as opposed to tap water A shoe is an item of Footwear. Shoes may vary from a simple Flip-flop to a complex Boot. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or This article is about tires used on road Vehicles including pneumatic tires and solid tires. Traditional occupations include fishing and canoe-building. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors Local agriculture produces palm oil, maize, nuts, vegetables, and fruit. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the Fruit of the Arecaceae Elaeis Oil palm. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Nut is a general term for the large dry oily Seeds or Fruit of some Plants. The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology.

Religion and politics

The city has both Catholic and Anglican cathedrals. The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican Church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest Province in the Anglican Communion, as measured This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral It is the residence of the traditional ruler of Onitsha, the Obi of Onitsha. The Obi of Onitsha is the traditional tribal leader of Onitsha, Anambra State, southeast Nigeria. There is also a teacher training college for women and a famous leper colony. College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium Despite being one of the biggest commercial cities of west Africa, Onitsha remains congested from the over-concentration of all her huge markets within the old city center and minimal expansion of the colonial roads infrastructure.

In February 2006, armed militants killed at least 24 ethnic Hausa Fulani (Muslims) and burned a few Muslim sites including two mosques. [4] [5] [6] The riots were in response to riots by Muslims in the city of Maiduguri days earlier, where at least 18 Christians were killed, sparked by the cartoon controversy in Denmark. Maiduguri or Yerwa is the capital of Borno State in Nigeria and sits along the Ngadda River.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ a b "Encyclopædia Britannica". Ryszard Kapuściński ( IPA: kapuɕ'ʨiɲski; March 4 1932 - January 23, 2007) was a popular Polish Journalist Retrieved on 2007-04-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus
  2. ^ Azikiwe, Nnamdi (October 1930). Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe ( November 16, 1904 – May 11, 1996) usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe, or informally "Fragments of Onitsha History". The Journal of Negro History 15 (4): 474. doi:10.2307/2714208. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
  3. ^ “"The second Niger Bridge"”, "The Daily Sun", 2007-02-20, <http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/opinion/editorial/2007/feb/20/editorial-20-02-2007-001.htm>. Retrieved on 6 April 2007 
  4. ^ "Scores killed in Nigeria riots", "Al Jazeera", 2006-02-23 
  5. ^ "Toll rises in Nigeria sectarian riots", "Al Jazeera", 2006-02-24 
  6. ^ Timberg, Craig (2006-02-24), “"Nigerian Christians Burn Corpses"”, "The Washington Post": A10, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/23/AR2006022300647.html>. Retrieved on 6 April 2007 

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