Calabar

Calabar is the capital city of Cross River State in Nigeria.

It sits beside the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers. The city is also near the creeks of the Cross River inland delta. The area is divided into two local government areas: Calabar Municipal and Calabar South. In 2006, the population was 371,022 people. By 2022, the estimated population grew to 571,500 people. Today, the city is often called the tourism capital of Nigeria.

The history of the city involves many different groups of people. The Efik people originally lived in this area. They called their home Akwa Akpa in the Efik language. In the 15th century, Portuguese explorers reached the Guinea coast. They called the local tribes "Calabar."

The Efik people had migrated from the Niger River area. They were fleeing civil wars with the Ibibio people. Since the 16th century, the city has served as an international seaport. It was used to export goods like palm oil.

Calabar also played a major role in the Atlantic slave trade. During this period, it became a significant port for shipping enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Tribes like the Igbo were sometimes taken during slave raids. Between 1725 and 1750, roughly 17,000 enslaved Africans were sold from Calabar. From 1772 to 1775, that number rose to more than 62,000 people. Towns like Old Calabar and Creek Town were crucial to this trade. Great Britain eventually abolished the slave trade in 1807. In 1815, a British ship captured seven Spanish and Portuguese slave ships in Duke Town.

In the mid-1800s, Scottish Presbyterians established a mission station in the city. Two missionaries, Hope Waddell and Mary Slessor, became very influential.

Waddell worked there from 1845 to 1858. Slessor worked from 1876 to 1915. They worked to improve how native peoples were treated. They also tried to end certain traditional practices. These included human sacrifice and the killing of newborn twins. They also fought against a practice called the "Judgment of God." This was a method where crime suspects were poisoned to see if they survived. The missionaries also founded a school to provide secondary education. They worked to protect water supplies to stop yellow fever epidemics.

During colonial times, the United Kingdom gained control of the territory. In 1884, Queen Victoria signed a treaty of protection with the local chiefs. This allowed the UK to control the area, including Bakassi. Calabar served as the headquarters for European administration in the Niger Delta until 1906. The city achieved many historical "firsts" in Nigeria. It was the first city to have a secondary school, known as the Hope Waddell Training Institution.

It also had the first hospital, the first post office, and the first network of paved roads. The city even had a botanical garden and a monorail.

Political history in Calabar has been quite active. In 1922, the British governor Clifford established the Legislative Council. Calabar elected one of the first four Africans to a parliamentary body in British West Africa. This led to the formation of political parties. In 1923, Herbert Macaulay founded the Nigeria National Democratic Party. Later, in 1926, protests known as the "Women's War" occurred. These riots spread from Aba to Calabar after a governor tried to introduce a poll tax. More than 50 women died during these protests against colonial forces.

The city also experienced the Biafran War in 1967. The Southeastern area declared itself the Republic of Biafra.

In October 1967, the Nigerian Navy attacked Calabar. There was heavy air and naval fire on the beaches. After intense fighting, Nigerian troops captured the city. The country eventually reunited under the Nigerian central government after three years. This period of conflict was a very difficult time for the region.

Today, the economy of the city is very diverse. It is supported by the state government and a large naval base. The naval base is the strongest in West and Central Africa. The city also has a busy port and an airport.

The Calabar Port Complex includes an Old Port and a New Port. These facilities help with the import and export of oil and gas. The state government also works to grow tourism. One major event is the Calabar Carnival, which started in 2004. This event helps make the city a popular destination for travelers.