73-554: The Calabar River in Cross River State , Nigeria flows from the north past the city of Calabar , joining the larger Cross River about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the south. The river at Calabar forms a natural harbor deep enough for vessels with a draft of 6 metres (20 ft). The Calabar River was once a major source of slaves brought down from the interior to be shipped west in the Atlantic slave trade . Slaving
146-536: A French chasse maree that she had taken. On 5 April Rowley sailed her for the Mediterranean. In September 1812, Commander Robert Gambier took command of Pelorus . By 1814, her captain was Commander Robert Stow. On 7 March boats from Endymion , Rattler , and a third British vessel, destroyed the American privateer Mars , of 15 guns and 70 men, off Sandy Hook. Some accounts name Pelorus as
219-515: A brig-sloop to a ship-sloop via the addition of a third mast. Then in October, Commander Peter Richards recommissioned her. In January 1827, Pelorus was employed in the Mediterranean protecting British trade in the Archipelago, at Alexandria , and around the coasts of Syria and Caramania. Commander Michael Quinn took command from September 1828. On 21 December 1829, she struck a rock at
292-555: A cement factory, boat builders and plants to process rubber, palm oil and food. Artisans make ebony artifacts for the Lagos tourist market. Since 1975 the city has been home to the University of Calabar . The development of the port, and the neighboring Calabar Free Trade Zone and Tinapa Free Zone & Resort has been held back in recent years by bureaucratic problems, and also by poor power supply, poor roads and lack of dredging of
365-486: A crew of 37 men, two of whom were cut down. The boarding party consisted of 22 men. The slaver had some 650 slaves aboard, and after her capture, the master arrived with 25 more. In sum, she had 676 aboard, of whom 206 died of disease before they could be freed in Sierra Leone. On 24 February 1835 she was off Princes Island where Midshipman Judd died. On 26 September, Pelorous was paid off at Portsmouth. A bounty
438-594: A part of the montane Cameroonian Highlands forests in the extreme northeast. The most major geographical feature is the state's namesake, the Cross River , which bisects the state's interior before forming much of the state's western border and flowing into the Cross River Estuary. Other important rivers are the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers, which flow from the inland Oban Hills , before flanking
511-567: A party including Governor of Western Australia Captain James Stirling . While there a boatcrew, under master's mate Charles Forsyth, surveyed the nearby Tor Bay for a potential new anchorage. She returned Stirling to Fremantle, arriving on 9 April, then departing on 7 May for Adelaide, Launceston and Sydney, arriving on 22 June. On 5 July she sailed for New Zealand. Then in August Pelorus sailed to New Zealand to conduct
584-521: A serious challenge in accommodating this growth while maintaining income levels and avoiding ecological disaster. Cross River State Cross River State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria . Cross River State was formed from the eastern part of the Eastern Region on 27 May 1967. Its capital is Calabar , it borders to the north through Benue state , to
657-561: A shoal at 8°8′30″N 115°30′0″E / 8.14167°N 115.50000°E / 8.14167; 115.50000 off the coast of Borneo in the South China Sea . Captain Triggs took her gig and two passengers and sailed 100 mi (160 km) to Singapore. From there he led the steamer Victoria to the wreck. Victoria was able to rescue 20 of the crew and save 70 chests of opium. This article includes data released under
730-728: A subgroup of the Idoma nation, part of the Yala LGA's subgroups are the Igede speaking people believed to have migrated from the Oju part of Benue State, who migrated from Ora, in Edo North. In Cross River North, Bekwarra is one of the most widely spoken language. It is understood by other tribes in the district. This language along with Efik and Ejagham is used for news broadcast in the state owned radio and TV stations. Cross River State epitomises
803-708: A survey of the Marlborough Sounds region. On 22 August, Pelorus sailed into Port Underwood , New Zealand, and cast anchor in Oyster Cove. She was under the temporary command of Lt. Phillip Chetwode while Commander Harding was ill. From here, Chetwode surveyed and named Pelorus River and Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere in New Zealand in honour of his ship. He also named the Chetwode Islands, off Pelorus Sound. Lieutenant Augustus Leopold Kuper
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#1732772331582876-640: A total length of 516 kilometres (321 mi). This is a small number given the size of the basin. Drainage is poor, so the basin is subject to flooding, gully erosion and landslides. In 1862 the Zoological Society of London received a description of a new crocodile named Crocodilus frontatus that had been taken from the Old Calabar River, with a much broader head than in Crocodilus vulgaris . A new bat called Sphyrocephalus labrosus
949-543: A whaleboat from Britomart , under Captain Owen Stanley , rescued the survivors. According to Kuper, " Pelorus was buried 9 feet (2.7 m) in the mud for 86 days." On 5 March 1840, Kuper was promoted to command of Alligator , then on 26 December, Lieutenant Kuper was promoted to the rank of commander, his commission being back-dated to when he took command of Pelorus . After repairs, in late July 1840, Pelorus sailed from Sydney with Herald to take part in
1022-586: Is Bassey Edet Otu , who was sworn into office on 29 May 2023. He was elected for a four-year term in office under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC). Cross River state derives its name from the Cross River, which passes through the state. It is a coastal state located in the Niger Delta region, and occupies 20,156 square kilometers. It shares boundaries with Benue state to the north for 188 km (117 miles), Ebonyi and Abia states to
1095-587: Is the nineteenth largest in area and 27th most populous , with an estimated population of over 3.8 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is mainly divided between the Guinean forest–savanna mosaic in the far north and the Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests in the majority of the interior of the state. The smaller ecoregions are the Central African mangroves in the coastal far south and
1168-721: The British House of Commons held a hearing on the 1767 massacre in 1790. The British banned the slave trade in 1807 and began to actively intervene in suppressing the trade by ships of other nations. Between 1807 and 1860 the West Africa Squadron seized around 1,600 ships involved in the slave trade. HMS Comus appears to have been the first warship to have sailed up the Calabar River as far as Akwa Akpa in 1815. Her boats captured seven Portuguese and Spanish slavers carrying some 550 slaves. On 6 January 1829
1241-679: 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
1314-671: The First Opium War (1839–1842) before becoming a merchantman and wrecking in 1844 while transporting opium to China. Pelorus was commissioned in July 1808 under Commander the Honourable James William King , and sailed for the Leeward Islands on 15 December. In January 1809 Commander Thomas Huskisson was appointed commander of Pelorus , but did not find out until May. Therefore, he
1387-454: The First Opium War . On 23 April 1841, she arrived at Singapore. One month later, Lieutenant W. W. Chambers, of Wellesley , was appointed and promoted to be acting commander of Pelorus . At the time, Wellesley was at Canton (now Guangzhou ) in China. On 6 July 1841, Pelorus was laid up at Singapore and Lieutenant Chambers returned to Britain. The officers and crew transferred to
1460-666: The Igbo -majority of the former Eastern Region attempted to secede as the state of Biafra ; in the three-year long Nigerian Civil War . Calabar and its port was hard-fought over in Operation Tiger Claw , while the people from Cross River state were persecuted by the Biafran forces as they were mainly non-Igbos. At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the South-Eastern state was reformed until 1976, when it
1533-953: The Ikom Monoliths (a series of volcanic-stone monoliths of unknown age), the Mary Slessor Tomb, Calabar Drill Monkey Sanctuary, Cross River National Park , Afi Mountain walkway canopy, Kwa Falls, Agbokim waterfalls, Tinapa Business Resort, Mono railway and the annual Calabar Carnival that takes place during the Christmas period. Cross River State can be accessed by air through the Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar. There are daily flights to Calabar from Lagos and Abuja serviced by airlines such as Air peace Airlines, Ibom Air Airlines and recently Cally Air , operated by Aero Contractors which worked for about 5 months in 2021 and at
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#17327723315821606-682: The West Africa Squadron . Here she patrolled the west coast of Africa to suppress the slave trade. On 9 May 1832, she was at Sierra Leone having brought in the Spanish slaving vessel Segunda Theresa , which was carrying 459 slaves. On 18 October 1832 Pelorus sailed from the Cape of Good Hope for Simon's Bay. In May 1833 she was back at the Cape, and on the 16th she sailed for Mauritius. She arrived there on 3 June. A month later, on 6 June, she left Mauritius for Colombo with specie to pay
1679-808: The Yakurr /Agoi/ Bahumono ethnic groups in Yakurr and Abi LGA, while the Mbembe are predominantly found in Obubra LGA. Further up the core northern part of the state are several sub-dialectical groups, among which are Etung, Olulumo, Ofutop, Nkim/Nkum, Abanajum, Nseke and Boki in both Ikom, Etung and Boki LGAs. Also, the Yala/Yache, Igede, Ukelle, Ekajuk, Mbube, Bette, Bekwarra and Utukwang people are found in Ogoja, Yala, Obudu, Obanliku and Bekwarra LGAs. The Yala are
1752-601: The " King of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands " — had asked for a visit from a naval vessel to forestall a possible revolt by the inhabitants. In mid-September 1837, Pelorus sailed to Rangoon to deliver an ultimatum to the mutinous King Tharyarwaddy from the Governor-General of India, Lord Auckland. Next, she sailed for Western Australia and Van Diemen's Land . On 9 January 1838, she arrived at Fremantle from Calcutta, departing on 19 March for King George Sound carrying
1825-763: The Archdiocese of Calabar (1934) with 51 parishes [2] under Archbishop Joseph Effiong Ekuwem (2013) [3] and the suffragan diocese of Ogoja (1938) [4] with 79 parishes under Bishop Donatus Edet Akpan (2017). [5] The Anglican Province of the Niger Delta includes the Diocese of Calabar led by Bishop Nneoyi O. Egbe. [6] Languages of Cross River State listed by LGA includes : Other languages spoken in Cross State are Eki, Ibibio, Ilue, Ito, and Okobo. Festivals held in Cross River state includes: From
1898-635: The Bekwarra among others. There are four major languages spoken in the state: English, the common language, Efik, Bekwarra, and Ejagham. The Efik language is widely spoken in Cross River State, especially in Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Akampkpa, Biase, and Odukpani Local Government Areas. The Ejagham language is also widely spoken language in Cross River State. The Efik-speaking people live mainly in
1971-635: The Brig Jules was captured by HM Eden on the bar of the Old Calabar River with 220 slaves on board, who had been shipped in the river. On 26 February 1829 the Hirondelle was captured by the Eden within the entrance of the river with 112 slaves on board. On 5 January 1835, boats from HMS Pelorus captured the Spanish polacca -bark Minerva , which was armed with two 18-pounder and two 8-pounder guns. The ship's boats had sailed 60 miles (97 km) up
2044-569: The Calabar river and laid in ambush. Skillful handling resulted in the capture of the slaver with no casualties to the boarding party although the vessel's guns were double-shotted and the crew and the boarding party exchanged small arms fire. The slaver had some 650 slaves aboard. With the suppression of the slave trade in the 1850s, palm oil and palm kernels became the main exports of the river. The chiefs of Akwa Akpa placed themselves under British protection in 1884. From 1884 until 1906 Old Calabar
2117-836: 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
2190-509: The French privateer schooner Général Ernouf , moored under the guns of the battery of St. Marie on the east coast of the southern part of Guadeloupe. Hazard and Pelorus attempted to send in a cutting out party during the night, but the boats could not find a channel. The British went in again in the daylight despite fire from the battery and the schooner's long 18-pounder pivot-gun and two swivels . Fire from Hazard and Pelorus silenced
2263-677: The Southern senatorial districts of Cross River, or as it is commonly referred to, the Greater Calabar district, which includes Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Bakassi, Biase, Akpabuyo, Odukpani, and Akamkpa LGAs. There is also the Qua community in Calabar, which speaks Ejagham. The main Ejagham group occupies mostly the Greater Calabar areas of Calabar Municipality, Odukpani, Biase and Akamkpa sections of Cross River State. There are also
Calabar River - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-403: The Spanish polacca -bark Minerva , which armed with two 18-pounder and two 8-pounder guns. The boats had sailed 60 mi (97 km) up the Calabar river and laid in ambush. Skillful handling resulted in the capture of the slaver with no casualties to the boarding party although the vessel's guns were double-shotted and the crew and the boarding party exchanged small arms fire. The vessel had
2409-473: The State includes: Federal highways Two roads to Cameroon : Other major roads include: Waterways: Calabar is a major port, with navigable waterways on Cross River. Airports: Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar (1983), and Bebi Airstrip . The state government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state house of assembly . The capital city of
2482-578: The State, Calabar, has a significant record of rainfall within the year, while the dry season has less significant effect in the state due to the depth of rainfall experienced. Based on the records presented by the Climate Data of the state, the annual rainfall of Cross River state is 3306mm (130.2 inches). The State is composed of several ethnic groups, which include the Efik , the Ejagham , Yakurr , Bahumono , Bette, Yala, Igede , Ukelle and
2555-510: The basin area. By 2008 it covered less than 40%, mostly in the north. Industrial quarrying began in the 1980s and now affects a significant area. It may be causing stream siltation and flooding as well as air and water pollution. The built-up area more than doubled from 3.5% to 7.6% of the land area in the study period. Calabar Municipality has no waste treatment facilities. Human wastes and those from cottage industries are dumped in surface sites or into open drains. The torrential rains wash most of
2628-563: The batteries but as the British came alongside the French crew, an estimated 80-100 men, fled ashore. There two field guns joined them in firing on the cutting-out party. Because the schooner was aground and chained to the shore the boarding party could not bring her out; instead, they set fire to her. However, a premature explosion injured some of them. In all, Hazard lost three men killed and four wounded; Pelorus lost three killed and five wounded. In February 1810 Pelorus participated in
2701-475: The bowsprit and sent the foremast over the side; both had to be cut away despite the heavy seas and otherwise bad weather. The crew rigged a jury-mast and bowsprit and Pelorus was able to get back to Plymouth. Had the ship struck Pelorus a few inches further aft the sloop would almost certainly have foundered. Pelorus was paid off in July 1826. In all, Hamley had seized more than 62,000 weight of tobacco. From July–October 1826, she underwent alteration from
2774-727: The capture of Guadeloupe. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" to any surviving crewmen from that campaign that wished to claim them. Later the same year, under Commander Alexander Kennedy, Pelorus patrolled the Leeward Islands. In May, command transferred to Commander Joshua Rowley . In late December 1811 and early 1812, Pelorus was cruising off Plymouth. On 22 and 23 December 1811 she captured Marianne and Deux Freres . On 6 January 1812, she sent in
2847-684: The charges because he had forbidden the lash in written orders. The court supported Suasmarez, who had been under arrest for 18 months before his exoneration. On 30 June, boats from Pelorus captured the Spanish slaver Pepita . At the time of her capture, Pepita had no slaves aboard. Under the terms of the treaty with Spain, the Royal Navy could only seize vessels actually carrying slaves. The boarding party manufactured evidence by putting three slaves aboard Pepita after boarding her. They then brought another 176 slaves that were on shore waiting to be loaded. Meredith accepted responsibility for
2920-871: The city of Calabar and flowing into the Cross River Estuary as well. In the forested interior of the state are several biodiverse protected areas including the Cross River National Park , Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary , and Mbe Mountains Community Forest . These wildlife reserves contain populations of Preuss's red colobus , African forest buffalo , bat hawk , tree pangolin , grey-necked rockfowl , and West African slender-snouted crocodile , along with some of Nigeria's last remaining Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee , drill , African forest elephant , and Cross River gorilla populations. Modern-day Cross River state has been inhabited by several ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily
2993-446: The climate of Cross River state is tropical . Not only this, the state is also characterised with relative humidity . The average temperature of the state is between 15°C and 30°C. However, this climatic condition is different in locations within the Cross River state such as the high plateau of Obudu , which has a record of a fall in temperature between 4°C and 10°C, as a result of the high altitude of this area. The capital city of
Calabar River - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-487: The entrance of Port Mahon , Menorca , Spain ; she was refloated on 23 December 1829, but subsequently sank. Isis came from Gibraltar to retrieve her officers and crew. Pelorus was refloated, and by 9 May 1830 she was back in Portsmouth. From December 1830 to December 1831, she underwent repairs and an alteration back to a brig. In 1831, William Wilberforce 's anti-slavery law was passed. In September, Captain Richard Meredith recommissioned Pelorus and she joined
3139-485: The estuary. Those that are caught have unsafe levels of contaminants. The Calabar River drains part of the Oban Hills in the Cross River National Park . The geology of the river basin includes the Pre-Cambrian Oban Massif, Cretaceous sediments of the Calabar flank and the recent Niger Delta sedimentary basin. The basin is about 43 kilometres (27 mi) wide and 62 kilometres (39 mi) long, with an area of 1,514 square kilometres (585 sq mi) At one time it
3212-413: The growing population of Calabar. For example, the National Integrated Power Project covers a large area of land besides the Calabar- Itu highway at Ikot Nyong in Odukpani Local Government Area. A study of changes in land use in the Calabar river catchment between 1967 and 2008 showed that the area covered by high forest decreased by almost 30% during that period. In 1967, high forest covered almost 70% of
3285-467: The highest number of local government Areas. HMS Pelorus (1808) HMS Pelorus was an 18-gun Cruizer -class brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy . She was built in Itchenor , England and launched on 25 June 1808. She saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and in the War of 1812 . On anti-slavery patrol off West Africa, she captured four slavers and freed some 1350 slaves. She charted parts of Australia and New Zealand and participated in
3358-554: The manufacturing of evidence. The Court in Sierra Leone therefore had to order Pepita returned to her master. Pepita ' s master then sued for damages. The Court found against Meredith and charged him £1092 in damages Pelorus continued to patrol the Bight of Benin and the vicinity of Princees Island . On 17 December, Pelorus captured the two-gun slaver Sutil . She had 307 slaves aboard, of whom 91 died of dysentery and disease before they could be freed in Sierra Leone. On 5 January 1835, boats from Pelorus captured
3431-436: 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 . After independence in 1960, the area now regarded as Cross River state was a part of the post-independence Eastern Region until 1967, when the region was split and the area became part of the South-Eastern state. Less than two months afterwards,
3504-401: The most powerful in the region. In 1767 there was a massacre when the crews of six British slavers intervened in a dispute between the rulers of two competing slaving centers on the river, Old Town and New Town, or Duke's Town: 400 men were killed. Akwa Akpa (Duke's Town) became a center of the trade where slaves were exchanged for European goods. Due to public petitions against slave trading,
3577-533: The nation's linguistic and cultural plurality and it is important to note that, in spite of the diversity of dialects, all the Indigenous languages in the state have common linguistic roots as Niger-Congo languages. Finally, the State serves as the venue of the largest carnival in Africa. Cross River State consists of eighteen (18) Local Government Areas . They are: The majority of Cross Riverians are predominantly Christian with minorities practicing different ethnic indigenous religions. The Catholic Church includes
3650-413: The people of Calabar. The fishermen land their catches at Alepan's beach on the Calabar River, and the catch is sold in the surrounding markets. The modern city of Calabar was founded by Efik families who had left Creek Town, further up the Calabar river, settling on the east bank in a position where they were able to dominate traffic with European vessels that anchored in the river, and soon becoming
3723-755: The senator representing Calabar senatorial district then was at the helm of affairs. Its capital is Calabar. Its major towns are Calabar Municipality, Akamkpa , Biase , Calabar South , Ikom , Igede , Obubra , Odukpani , Ogoja , Bekwarra , Ugep , Obudu , Obanliku , Akpabuyo , Ofutop, Iso-bendghe, Danare, Boki , Yala , Bendeghe Ekiem, Etomi, Ediba , Itigidi , Ugep , Ukpe and Ukelle . The state has many governors and administrators including Udoakaha J. Esuene, Paul Omu, Tunde Elegbede, Clement Isong , Donald Etiebet, Daniel Archibong , Ibim Princewill, Ernest Attah , Clement Ebri, Ibrahim Kefas, Gregory Agboneni, Umar Faoruk Ahmed, Christopher Osondu, Donald Duke , Liyel Imoke and Benedict Ayade . The current Governor
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#17327723315823796-460: The shallow Calabar River channel. The city of Calabar is bounded by the Calabar River to the west, Great Kwa River to the east and the wetlands of the Cross river estuary to the south. It can only grow to the north, into the Calabar River catchment area, and this has been happening. The Calabar river watershed was originally covered by tropical rainforest. Much has now been replaced by agriculture, road construction, forestry, industry and housing for
3869-444: The soaring plateaus of the mountain tops of Obanliku to the Rain forests of Afi, from the Waterfalls of Agbokim and Kwa to the spiralling ox-bow Calabar River which provides sights and images of the Tinapa Business Resort , Marina Resort , Calabar Residency Museum and the Calabar Slave Park along its course, there is always a thrilling adventure awaiting the eco-tourist visiting Cross River State. Other tourist attractions are
3942-407: The start of 2022, it stopped operation. The Cross River state-owned airline, Cally Air, might have run aground after two years of operations and operational debt in excess of N900 million to its technical partner, Aero Contractors. Education started with mother tongue education. Presently, a lot of schools in the state for educative learning in the society. The Tertiary educational institutions in
4015-422: The state is Calabar . The governor of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in
4088-444: The steam paddle and sail survey cutter Bentinck , which Commodore Sir J.J.G. Bremer had just purchased and which went on to operations in China. An Admiralty Order of 16 October specified that Pelorus was to be sold, which took place in 1842. The purchasers may have been Pybus Brothers. On 27 1843, under Captain Triggs, she arrived in Hong Kong with a load of opium. Pelorus sank on 25 December 1844 when she struck
4161-437: The third British vessel, but the prize money notices and most other accounts give the name of the third vessel as Belvidera . Then by September, Pelorus was under the command of Commander John Gourly. A year later she was paid off at Plymouth where she underwent a Middling Repair before she was laid up. She was fitted for sea from April–August 1823, Commander William Hamley having recommissioned her in April. In 1824, she
4234-508: The troops in Ceylon. From there she returned to the Cape, from whence she sailed for St Helena , where she arrived on 7 December. She then sailed to Ascension and the west coast of Africa. On 16 June 1834, Lieutenant Philip de Sausmarez of Pelorus came before a court martial. The charge was that on 18 April 1832, while in command of the prize crew on the Segunda Theresa , Sausmarez had the boatswain's mate of Lynx administer 24 lashes to Francis Brown for neglect of duty. Meredith preferred
4307-466: The wastes into the Calabar and Great Kwa Rivers. Urban pollution and oil exploration activity in the near shore area both threaten the ecology of the estuary, greatly reducing the numbers and diversity of the species that provide food for shrimps and fish. A 1999 study of fish caught in the Calabar and Kwa rivers and in the estuary showed levels of copper and hydrocarbons were above the World Health Organization permissible levels in all samples. Iron content
4380-459: The west for 198 km (123 miles) and about 52 km respectively (partly across Cross River), to the east by Sud-Ouest Province in Cameroon for about 290 km (181 miles), partly across the Sankwala Mountains and the Akwayafe River, and to the south by Akwa-Ibom for about 114 km (71 miles) mostly across Cross River and the Atlantic Ocean . The state is made up of 18 Local Government Area Councils . Like few other Nigerian states,
4453-425: The west through Ebonyi state and Abia state , and to the southwest through Akwa Ibom state , while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon . 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. 0ut of the 36 states in Nigeria, Cross River state
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#17327723315824526-416: The wildlife reserves along with the historic Ikom Monoliths site, Calabar Carnival , and Obudu Mountain Resort . Cross River state has the joint-thirteenth highest Human Development Index in the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education. Cross River as a south-south state was created on 27 May 1967 from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria , by the General Yakubu Gowon regime. Its name
4599-508: Was above permissible levels in 20% of samples. The rate of accumulation of hydrocarbons was greater in the wet seasons, probably because of higher levels of contaminated material washed from vehicle maintenance shops by the torrential rains. Calabar Municipality and Calabar South had a combined population of 371,000 in 2006. The population of Cross River State has been growing at the rate of about 3% annually since 1991. Growth rates are considerably higher in Calabar city. The state government faces
4672-423: Was also reported. The river system formed by the Cross River, Calabar, Great Kwa and other tributaries forms extensive flood plains and wetlands that empty into the Cross River estuary. The system has an estimated area of 54,000 square kilometres (21,000 sq mi) As of 2000 about 8,000 tonnes of fish and 20,000 tonnes of shrimp were being caught annually. Shrimp provide a relatively cheap form of protein to
4745-422: Was at Cork on coast guard duties. On 19 May she captured the smuggling vessel Good Hope . On 9 October, she captured the small smuggling lugger Phoenix , which was carrying a cargo of tobacco and a small amount of tea. Over a period of three years, Hamley captured more smuggling-vessels than any other vessel. On 30 October 1823, a ship ran into Pelorus during the night, and then sailed on. The crash destroyed
4818-429: Was changed to Cross River state in the 1976 state creation exercise by the then General Murtala Mohammed regime from South Eastern 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 . The struggle for a new state creation started in 1980 in the reign of president Shehu Shagari where Senator Joseph Oqua Ansa (Mon)
4891-422: Was entirely covered by tropical rainforest. The region has a rainy season from April until October, during which 80% of the annual rain falls, with peaks in June and September. Annual rainfall averages 1,830 millimetres (72 in). Average temperatures range from 24 °C (75 °F) in August to 30 °C (86 °F) in February. Relative humidity is high, between 80% and 100%. The basin has 223 streams with
4964-435: Was nominated acting commander of Pelorus on 27 July 1839. On 26 August, Pelorus and HMS Herald attempted to scuttle the British merchant ship Lucretia , which had caught fire off Kyardbilly's point, Sydney . The attempt was unsuccessful and the ship exploded and sank. On 25 November 1839, while anchored off Port Essington , Australia, a hurricane struck Pelorus , wrecking her. She lost 12 of her crew;
5037-498: Was not her commander at the capture of Martinique in February. (Some accounts have her under the command of Captain Francis Augustus Collier ; however, he was commander of Starr .) Under Huskisson she then took part in enforcing the blockade of Guadeloupe . In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to any surviving crewmen from that campaign that wished to claim it. On 16 October Pelorus and Hazard were in company when they came upon
5110-498: Was paid on both Sutil and Minerva in June 1836. On 31 January 1837, Pelorus was recommissioned under Captain Francis Harding who had taken command on 21 January. She then sailed for the Cape of Good Hope on 9 April, having received specie from London that she was to take to Mauritius via the Cape. She arrived at the Cape on 1 June. Pelorus — under Commander Harding — called at the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on 16 December, and stayed for six days. Captain John Clunies-Ross —
5183-553: Was renamed Cross River state. Eleven years later, Cross River state was divided with western Cross River being broken off to form the new Akwa Ibom state . The state formerly contained the oil-producing Bakassi Peninsula , but it was ceded to Cameroon under the terms of the Greentree Agreement . As an agricultural state, the Cross River state's economy partially relies on crops, such as cocoyam , rubber , oil palm , yam , cocoa , cashews , and plantain crops, along with fishing. Key minor industries involve tourism in and around
5256-409: Was suppressed by 1860, but the port of Calabar remained important in the export of palm oil and other products, until it was eclipsed by Port Harcourt in the 1920s. With improved roads into the interior, Calabar has regained importance as a port and is growing rapidly. The tropical rain forest in the Calabar River basin is rapidly being destroyed, and pollution is decreasing fish and shrimp catches in
5329-559: Was the headquarters of the Niger Coast Protectorate , after which Lagos became the main center. Now called Calabar, the city remained an important port shipping ivory, timber, beeswax, and palm produce until 1916, when the railway terminus was opened at Port Harcourt , 145 km to the west. Calabar today has regained its importance as a port with the completion of roads providing good access to southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon. Exports include palm produce, timber, rubber, cocoa, copra, and piassava fibre. Industries include sawmills,
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