Akwa Ibom State

Akwa Ibom State is in South South Nigeria. The state is named after the Qua Iboe river. It is lies by the coast in the southern part of the country, at about 4–5° northern latitude and about 7–8° eastern longitude.

• 5.057.9333331 Uyo — the beautiful state capital city, home to the state-of-the-art Godswill Akpabio International Stadium ("The Nest of Champions"), Ibom Plaza, and premium corporate luxury resorts
• 4.9833337.7833332 Abak —
• 5.0166677.6166673 Etim Ekpo —
• 4.857.8333334 Etinan –
• 4.57788.15575 Ibeno – one of the largest fishing settlements on the Nigerian coast, located in the mangrove swamp forest; a coastal settlement hosting the Ibeno Beach, which spans up to 45 km of golden sand, making it the longest uninterrupted sand beach in West Africa
• 5.2333337.8833336 Ibiono-Ibom —
• 4.6333337.657 Ikot Abasi —
• 5.1819447.7147228 Ikot Ekpene — known widely as the "Raffia City," it is the cultural and craft hub of the state, globally famous for traditional hand-woven raffia textiles, bags, masks, and wooden carvings
• 5.1666677.9833339 Itu —
• 4.733617.7486110 Mkpat-Enin — 
• 4.883337.911 Nsit Ibom — 
• 4.766677.9333312 Nsit-Ubium —
• 4.833338.1333313 Okobo —
• 4.825838.2338914 Oron — a major historic port city on the Cross River estuary, famous for the Oron Museum, active seafood markets, and traditional woodworking artisan heritages
• 4.97.615 Ukanafun —
• 4.5721347.97835916 Upenekang —

The state is divided between the Central African mangroves in the coastal far south and the Cross–Niger transition forests in the rest of the state. Other important geographical features are the Imo and Cross rivers, which flow along Akwa Ibom's eastern and western borders, respectively, while the Kwa Ibo River bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny. Offshore, the state is also biodiverse as there are large fish populations along with various cetacean species, including bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, humpback whales, and killer whales.

The state is bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost tip of Cross River State. Akwa Ibom has a population of over 5 million people and more than 10 million people in diaspora. It was created in 1987 from the former Cross River State and is as of 2024, it is the highest oil and gas producing state in the country. The state’s capital is Uyo with over 500,000 inhabitants.

Akwa Ibom State has been inhabited by various ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily the closely related Ibibio, Anaang, and Oron peoples in the North-East, North-West, and Southern zones of the state, respectively.

Akwa Ibom State's economy is based on the production of crude oil and natural gas as highest oil-producing state in the country. Key minor industries involve agriculture as the state has substantial cocoyam, yam, and plantain crops along with fishing and heliciculture. Despite its vast oil revenues, Akwa Ibom has low human development in large part due to years of systemic corruption. The people are predominantly of the Christian faith. The main ethnic groups of the state are:[Ibibio]], Annang, Oron, Eket and Obolo.

There is a dry season November to March and a wet season April to October.

• 4.8715838.0868011 Akwa Ibom International Airport (QUO ^IATA). The airport receives flights from Abuja, Calabar, Enugu and Lagos.  (updated Jun 2021)
• QUO is the hub for Ibom Air, the state-owned airline, which operates scheduled local flights in Nigeria, as well as regional flights in Africa.

You can rent a car or use a taxi service. There are also ride-sharing apps available in some parts of the state.

There are buses and minibuses, providing cheaper transportation.

Okadas (motorcycle taxis) are a popular mode of transportation in Nigeria, including Akwa Ibom State. You can easily hail an okada to take you to your destination.

Keke napeps (tricycle taxis) are another common mode of transportation in the state. They are a convenient and affordable way to get around town.

The state has a coastline and several waterways, so you can also travel by boat.

• The Oron Museum: Located on a scenic hill overlooking the Cross River estuary in Oron. It houses an exceptional collection of ancient wooden ancestral carvings (Ekpu figures), traditional masks, and relics of the Ekpe secret society.
• The Blue River (Azumini): Located along the border area near Abia State, featuring an intensely clear, bright blue river channel flanked by white sands and lush palm canopies.
• Ibom Plaza Monument: The historic, open-air pedestrian centerpiece in the heart of Uyo city, complete with an elevated walkway and digital monitors where local street life and evening commerce thrive.

In the southeast corner of the state is the Stubb's Creek Forest Reserve, a heavily threatened wildlife reserve that contains declining crocodile, putty-nosed monkey, red-capped mangabey, and Sclater's guenon populations.

The city is a top destination for football fanatics, fun lovers, students and foodies. This group of people can never run out of places to visit in Akwa Ibom. Foodies can look forward to eating their favourite morsel food with the famous afang soup, abak soup and are ikon. Other mouthwatering delicacies like anyan ekpang, asa iwa and oto ebre are also worth a try.

Raffia Palm Wine (Ukot): Tapped fresh daily from the massive palm groves across the state valleys. It is sweet and milky when harvested fresh in the morning.

• Champion Beer: The crisp, popular local lager brewed proudly right inside Akwa Ibom State, served ice-cold at open-air container parks and beachfront lounges.

Akwa Ibom State is a place to visit. The state is relativelly calm, her people are hospitable and accommodative.

• Calabar – Board a quick, scenic speed-ferry from the Oron beach docks to travel across the estuary into the historic, peaceful capital city of Cross River State.
• Cross River National Park – Head northeast into the dense central rainforest reserves to trek one of West Africa's oldest surviving tropical ecosystems, home to the endangered Cross River gorilla.