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Imo State
State nickname: Eastern Heartland
Location of Imo State in Nigeria
Statistics
Governor
(List)
Ikedi Ohakim (PDP)
Date Created February 3, 1976
Capital Owerri
Area 5,530 km²
Ranked 34th
Population
2006 Census
Ranked 13th
3,934,899[1]
GDP (PPP)
 -Total
 -Per Capita
2007 (estimate)
$14.21 billion[2]
$3,527[2]
ISO 3166-2 NG-IM

Imo State (/iːmoʊ/) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria and lies to the south of this West African country, with Owerri as it capital and largest city.

History

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Imo State came into existence in 1976 along with other new states created under the leadership of the late military ruler of Nigeria, Murtala Muhammad, having been previously part of East-Central State. The state is named after the Imo River.[3] Part of it was split off in 1991 as Abia State, and another part became Ebonyi State. The Orashi River has its source in this state. It is set in the historical heart of Igboland.

Geography and Natural Resources

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Imo State lies within latitudes 4°45'N and 7°15'N, and longitude 6°50'E and 7°25'E and covers an area roughly 5,100sq km[4]. It is boardered by Abia State on the East, by the River Niger and Delta State on the west, by Anambra State to the north and Rivers State to the south. Besides Owerri, Imo State's major towns are Isu, Okigwe, Oguta, Orlu, Mbaise, Mbieri, Orodo and Orsu.

The state is rich in natural resourses including crude oil, natural gas, lead, zinc[5]. Economically exploitable flora like the iroko, mahogany, obeche, bamboo, rubber tree and oil palm pre dominate. However with a high population density and over farming the soil has been degraded and much of the native vegetation has disappeared[6].

This deforestation has triggered soil erosion which is compounded by heavy seasonal rainfall that has led to the destruction of houses and roads[7] [8] [9].

Climate

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The rainy season begins in April and lasts till October[10] with annual rainfall varying from 1,500mm to 2,200mm (60 to 80 inches).[11][12]

An average annual temperature above 20°C creates an annual relative humidity of 75%. With humidity reaching 90% in the rainy season. The dry season experinces two months of Harmattan from late December to late Feburary. The hottest months are between January and March.[13][11][14]

Government

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The state has a three tier administrative structure: State, Local and Autonomous community levels. The three arms at state level are the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary. The executive arm is headed by an elected Governor who is assisted by a deputy governor, commissioners and executive advisers. The incumbent is governor Ikedi Ohakim, elected in April 2007 with Ada Okwuonu as deputy governor.[15]

The legislative arm is headed by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly who is currently speaker Goodluck Nanah Opiah.[16] The remainder of the house is is made up of elected legislators and is the lawmaking body of the state.

The judiciary is made up of the high court of justice and customary court of appeal and is headed by the Chief Judge of the state.[17]

Ministries

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  • Justice
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Education
  • Health
  • Commerce
  • Industry and Tourism
  • Finance
  • Works and Transport

Language

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English, Igbo

Local Government Areas

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Imo State is made up of twenty-seven Local Government Areas:

Demographics

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The estimated population is 4.8 million and the population density varies from 230-1,400 people per square kilometer.[18]

Imo state is a predominantly Igbo speaking state, with Igbo people constituting a majority of 98%.[19]

Eductation

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Notable People

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Notable people from Imo State include:

Sports

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Arts

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Politics

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Academia

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Misc.

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References

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  1. ^ Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette (15 May 2007). "Legal Notice on Publication of the Details of the Breakdown of the National and State Provisional Totals 2006 Census" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  2. ^ a b "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  3. ^ "Physical Setting: Imo State". OnlineNigeria.com. Devace Nigeria. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  4. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  5. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/industries.php
  6. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  7. ^ http://www.africatalksclimate.com/galleries/imo-state-nigeria
  8. ^ http://allafrica.com/stories/200912170314.html
  9. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  10. ^ http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Nigeria/Climate/
  11. ^ a b "Regions Used to Interpret the Complexity of Nigeria". Geographical Alliance of Iowa. University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  12. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  13. ^ http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Nigeria/Climate/
  14. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  15. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/executive.php
  16. ^ http://http://www.imostate.gov.ng/legislative.php
  17. ^ http://www.onlinenigeria.com/links/imoadv.asp?blurb=267
  18. ^ http://www.imostate.gov.ng/about%20imo.php
  19. ^ http://www.igbofocus.co.uk/html/imo_state.html
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