Ikot Ekpene, known throughout Nigeria as "Raffia City", or locally simply as "IK," is a historic town, in the South-South zone of Nigeria, in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang ethnic group in Nigeria. The town is located on a highway that parallels the coast, between Calabar to the South East and Aba to the West, with the state capital, Uyo, on this road just to the East. Umahia is the next major town to the North. Obong Victor Bassey Attah (b. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... The city of San Francisco, an example of an urban area. ... Metropolitan area in Western Tokyo as seen from Tokyo Tower A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries not observing summer time Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of the time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Central European Time West Africa Time British Summer Time* Irish Summer Time* Western European Summer Time* Category: ... Daylight saving time around the world  DST used  DST no longer used  DST never used Daylight saving time (DST), also summer time in British English, is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. ... Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Central European Time West Africa Time British Summer Time* Irish Summer Time* Western European Summer Time* Category: ... Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria. ... The Annang (Also spelt Anaan) is a cultural and ethnic group that lives within southeast Nigeria. ... Location of Calabar in Nigeria Calabar is a city in south eastern Nigeria. ... Location of Aba in Nigeria. ... Uyo is a city in South Eastern Nigeria; it is the capital of of Akwa Ibom State, a major oil producing area of Nigeria. ...

Ikot Ekpene is known as a regional centre of commerce, with notable exports of palm products, especially palm oil, kernels, raffia products including raffia fibers and its sweet wine, as well as ground crops of yams, cassava, taro, and corn. The population is made up primarily of the Annang people. Significant exports also include basket weaving, sculpture, and, most notably, raffia cane furniture (hence the colloquial name of the town). Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres Palm oil block Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Species About 25-30 species, including: Raphia australis Raphia farinifera Raphia hookeri Raphia regalis Raphia taedigera Raphia vinifera The Raffia palm (Raphia) is a genus of tropical palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar, Central America and South America. ... Yams at Brixton market For the term yam as used in the United States, see sweet potato. ... Binomial name Manihot esculenta Crantz The cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta) is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrate. ... Binomial name Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott Taro corms for sale Taro (from Tahitian), more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian), is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. ... This article is about cereals in general. ... The Annang (Also spelt Anaan) is a cultural and ethnic group that lives within southeast Nigeria. ... A basket being woven. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Species About 25-30 species, including: Raphia australis Raphia farinifera Raphia hookeri Raphia regalis Raphia taedigera Raphia vinifera The Raffia palm (Raphia) is a genus of tropical palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar, Central America and South America. ... A cane is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, Malacca (rattan), or some similar plant, mainly used as a support, such as a walking stick or as an instrument of punishment. ...

Though most inhabitants of the area did not have direct contact with European traders until early in the twentieth century, it is believed that European articles of trade reached the people since the 17th century. Sustained contact with the Europeans began during the Aro expedition when Ukpong Inokon, an Aro Blood Brotherhood leader escaped to Ifuho. In November 1903, British troops arrived in the area from Calabar and the following year established a garrison there in January 1904. From Ikot Ekpene the troops marched to Uyo and from there to Abak and Opobo. Between 1904 and 1910, Ikot Ekpene became part of the Eyong District. In 1914 Enyong District was broken up into two: Enyong and Ikot Ekpene Districts. The new Ikot Ekpene District included Uyo and Abak.

By 1919 trade with Europeans opened up as the town became an administrative center. The following companies had post and stores in the town: John Holt Cooperative Wholesale Society Paterson Zochonos (PZ), G. B. Olivant and the Compagnie Francaise de L'Afrique Occidentals. The establishment of these companies resulted in exodus from the surrounding areas and made Ikot Ekpene a vibrant metropolis. In 1937, the colonial administration built the main market and separated those who sold imported European goods from indigenous articles. A slaughter house was added to allow for the inspection of meat.

Under the British the town became the seat of both the (Annang), Division and (Ikot Ekpene) County Council. Today it is a municipal center in the state of Akwa Ibom.

Kannan Nair, the noted historian described the town as a cultural and political capital of the Annangs and the Ibibios. The Ibibios live to the East and most of the Annangs live to the South of the town. The inhabitants were known for the efficacy of their charms. They were the only people who resisted colonialism with arm conflict in the southern region of what is presently Nigeria. In 1903, the British sent in troops and a garrison was stationed there at the main entrance to the town known as Control Post. The town was so important to the British that when a proposed road linking Owerri and Calabar in the late 1920s was to bypass the town, the British administrators abandoned the idea in favor of one linking Eket and Owerri in order to bring the town into the loop. It became the site of the experiment in local self governance by the British in 1951. It was also the birth place of the famous Ibibio Welfare Union when James Udo Eka teamed up with Udosen Obot at Methodist school in Ikot Obong Edong. In the 1920s, this was one of the first regional political organizations in Nigeria.

Ikot Ekpene, probably more than any other town, was seriously impacted in the Biafrian civil war. It had strategic military and political importance to both the Biafrians and Nigerians. The town and the area changed hands at least 3 times in this bitter conflict. Following the war, the new reorganization and state structure led to policies that did not recognize the historic importance of the town. National motto: Peace, Unity, Freedom Official language Igbo, English Capital Enugu Largest city Port Harcourt Head of State Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Chief of General Staff (VP) Philip Effiong Area ?- Total ?- % water Population;- Total 13,500,000 (1967) Currency Biafran pound (BIAP) Created May 30, 1967 Dissolved January 15, 1970 National...

Like most Annang communities, Ikot Ekpene has a tradition of self improvement from its sons and daughters, both near and far. Several groups are working together to recapture and rebuild what they fondly call "The Raffia City". Ikot Ekpene has a long history of transforming the raffia fibre into cloth used in shoes, hats, handbags, mats and with distinctive cultural carvings made out of wood. These unique arts and crafts trades have continued alongside traditional agriculture.

Many foreign organizations and churches are present in the area. Three institutions of higher learning have added a richness to the town: the Ikot Osurua College of Technology, the School of Nursing and the St Joseph Major Theological Seminary. Ezekiel Ette, Northwest Nazarene University

Coordinates: 5.18° N 7.716° E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...