Cross River State was created on May 27, 1967 from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria by the General Yakubu Gowon regime. 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. Cross River State is a coastal state in South Eastern Nigeria, named after the Cross River, which passes through the state. Located in the Niger Delta, Cross River State occupies 20,156 square kilometers. It shares boundaries with Benue State to the north, Enugu and Abia States to the west, to the east by the Cameroon Republic, and to the south by Akwa-Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean. The Cross River, with a catchment area of 53,590 sq. km, delivers more sediment load to the coast, than the present Niger Benue drainage system.
CROSS RIVER STATE LGAS, TRIBES, ETHNICITY AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
- The state has an estimated population of about 2.89 million people who have a rich and unique cultural heritage. Ejagham and Efik are major languages of this state, but the Igbo tribe and language are also present in its western land borders. Forty percent of the estimated population constitutes the active population that is engaged in various economic activities; ranging from subsistence agriculture to urban commerce and transport business.
Cross River State consists of eighteen (18) Local Government Areas. Located in the tropical rainfall belt where rainfall is usually seasonal and at times very heavy, a humid tropical climate of about 1300, 3000mm rain fall, and 30°C mean annual temperatures prevail over Cross River State, except on the Obudu Plateau, where the climate is subtemperate, with temperatures of 15°C 23°C. The vegetation ranges from mangrove swamps, through rainforest, to derived savannah, and montane parkland. Just as its rocks are diverse, so also are the mineral resource potentials of the State.
Top tourist attraction and site in Cross River State are Agbokim Waterfalls (Agbokim Falls is one of the top destinations in Nigeria for adventurers chasing waterfalls), Kwa Falls, Slave History Museum, Obudu Mountain Resort, Tinapa Resort, Visit Drill Ranch, Cross River National Park, Mary Slessor’s House.
