Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Owerri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Owerri | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| State | Imo State |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Oshieze Vincent Ehirim |
| Area | |
| - City | 104 km² (40.2 sq mi) |
| - Land | 130 km² (50.2 sq mi) |
| - Water | 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) |
| - Metro | 100 km² (38.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - City | 231,789 |
| - Density | 1,400/km² (3,626/sq mi) |
| - Metro | 281,789 |
| estimated | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+1) |
| Website: www.imostate.com | |
Owerri is a city in southeastern Nigeria. It is the capital of Imo State and is set in the heart of the Igboland.[1] It currently has a population of about 231,789[2] and is approximately 40 square miles in area.
The Owerri Slogan is Heartland.
Contents |
Owerri was the capital of the Republic of Biafra in 1969. The capital of the secessionist state was continuously being moved as Nigerian troops captured the older capitals. Enugu, Aba, and Umuahia were the other capitals before Owerri.
Owerri was founded by a man called Ekwema Arugo. He used to live in Urata before travelling to found Owerri. The proper name of this village is Owere. In Igboland, there are several places called Owere. However, this particular Owere village is the most popular. In Igbo language, Owere means an open place of habitation. Ekwema Arugo, who founded Owere, had five children. These children constitute the five hamlets of Owere village namely:
The ancestor Ekwema Arugo first settled at a place called Ugwu Ekwema. In remembrance of Ekwema Arugo, Owere people have a special celebration called Oru Owere. The festival is usually conducted at Ugwu Ekwema.
The current Eze of Owere is Dr. Alexius Emmanuel Emenyeonu Njemanze. He is titled the Ozuruigbo IV of Owere.
Owerri has an airport 14 miles southeast of the city, called the Imo Airport which provides service to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Enugu. Right now, it serves as an alternate for Port Harcourt, but it does not serve international purposes. Some major roads that go through the city are; Port Harcourt Rd., Aba Rd., Onitsha Rd., and Okigwe Rd. Roads within the city are; Douglas Rd., Weathral Rd., Tetlow Rd., and Works Rd. Eke Ukwu Owere market is the main market in Owerri.
Owerri sits in the rain forest and produces many agricultural products, such as yams, cassava, taro, corn, rubber and palm products.
Important educational institutions in Owerri include Imo State University, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Federal College of Land Resources Oforola, Seat of Wisdom Seminary Owerri, Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Federal Government Girls College Owerri, Owerri Girls Secondary School, Government Secondary School Owerri, Development Secondary School Owerri, Emmanuel College Owerri, Holy Ghost College Owerri, and Community Secondary School Oforola Owerri.
The soccer clubs Arugo F.C., Heartland F.C., and Papillo F.C. are based in Owerri.
- Alexius Njemanze - The Eze of Owere
- Augustine Njoku-Obi - Developer of Cholera Vaccine
- Chidi Njemanze - Inventor of the Intelligent Transcranial Doppler Probe
- Kanu Nwankwo - Soccer Player and Founder of Kanu Heart Foundation
- Matthew Onyeukwu- United Nations International Staff
==
- ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica".
- ^ "The World Gazetteer". Retrieved on 2007-04-07.
- ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica".
- ^ "The World Gazetteer". Retrieved on 2007-04-07.