Calabar, also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali, and Kalabar, stands as the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. Administratively, the city is divided into Calabar Municipal and Calabar South Local Government Areas.
Location of Calabar in Nigeria
Early History and Inhabitants
When Portuguese explorers reached this part of the Guinea coast in the 15th century, they called the tribes of the area "Calabar". These historic inhabitants were Efiks, Efuts, and Quas. The Efik people migrated from the area of the Niger River to the shores of Calabar.
Calabar as a Seaport and the Slave Trade
Since the 16th century, Calabar has served as an international seaport, exporting goods such as palm oil. During the centuries of the Atlantic slave trade, it became a major port for the shipment of African slaves to the Americas.
The Spanish named it Calabar. Tribes around that region were taken in as slaves for slave trade. Such tribes included the Igbo tribes (communities) who lived around that region at the time. John Jea, an enslaved African American, came from the area. He later became a writer.
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One of the five main themes of the National Museum is the Esuk Mba slave market in Akpabuyo. The slave trade in Calabar was based on slave raiding and trading, which mainly took place in the hinterland, where the enslaved were mostly prisoners of war. Another exhibition shows objects from the slave trade, including chains and shackles.
One exhibition shows the various means of payment used in the slave trade, from copper bars, manillas and Danish guns to brass bells, gongs, flutes and more. The arrangement of the slaves on a ship is artistically illustrated. The slaves were arranged in different positions depending on where they were accommodated on the ship, either sitting, standing or side by side.
Finally, another exhibition traces the efforts of abolitionists such as William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp, who saw the slave trade as morally reprehensible and a matter of natural rights. They therefore put forward twelve proposals for abolition.
Missionary Influence and Education
In 1846, Scottish Presbyterians established a mission station in Calabar. Among the missionaries, Hope Waddell, who worked in Calabar from 1845 to 1858, and Mary Slessor, who evangelized Christianity in Calabar from 1876 to 1915, worked to improve treatment by and among the native peoples. They founded a school to provide secondary education to Africans.
She referred to it as a "trailer", but the locals called it a "good pass all". In 1889, Mr Owens, a carpenter at the mission, was hired to build a more permanent structure for her. When Southern Nigeria became a British protectorate, Miss Slessor acted as a female magistrate and skilful diplomatic ambassador.
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She was also instrumental in the establishment of the Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar, which provided vocational training for Efiks. Founded in 1895, the Hope Waddell Training Institution was renovated after a long period of neglect and is once again functioning as a high school.
Colonial Era and Political Development
Calabar developed earlier, albeit less vigorously than Lagos, with which it is sometimes compared because of some parallels. In 1922, British governor Clifford established the Legislative Council. The four elected members were from Lagos (3) and Calabar (1).
The Legislative Council enacted laws for the colony and the protectorate of Southern Nigeria. It also approved the annual budget for the entire country. The four elected members were the first Africans to be elected to a parliamentary body in British West Africa.
The Clifford Constitution led to the formation of political parties in Nigeria. Herbert Macaulay, a newspaper owner and grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, in 1923 founded the first Nigerian political party, the Nigeria National Democratic Party.
In 1926, Governor Graeme Thomson attempted to introduce a poll tax in southeast Nigeria, including Calabar. It would reduce the number of Africans eligible to vote in elections. The people reacted with strong protests, which Nigerians call the "Women's War", for many of its leaders, and the British termed the "Aba Riots". These riots spread from the neighbouring town of Aba to Calabar.
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The Biafran War
After independence in 1960, tensions increased between the North and South areas of the country, which were strongly affiliated with Muslims and Christians, respectively. In addition, the South had a concentration of educated people who were politically powerful and had a history of trade and interaction with other communities.
The Southeastern area decided to become independent and declared itself as the Republic of Biafra in 1967. It included Calabar. In October 1967, an armada of the Nigerian Navy left the harbour of Bonny on a naval campaign en route to Calabar.
The ships carried troops of the Nigerian 3rd Naval Division under the command of Colonel Benjamin Adekunle. At this time, Calabar was being defended by the 9th Battalion of Biafrans under the command of Major Ogbo Oji. On 17 October, the Biafran defences on the beaches of Calabar came under heavy air and naval fire.
Later that day, the Nigerian 33rd Battalion landed on the beach at Calabar. The Biafran resistance was overwhelmed. After Nigerian troops advanced into Calabar from three different positions, bloody hand-to-hand fighting ensued.
Modern Calabar: Tourism and Development
Calabar was once described as the tourism capital of Nigeria, especially due to several initiatives implemented during the administration of Donald Duke as the Governor of Cross River State (1999-2007). Calabar sees itself as the "tourism capital of Nigeria".
The state government of Cross River is trying to stimulate tourism in Calabar. Margaret Ekpo International Airport was inaugurated in 1983 by then-President Shagari.
The Calabar Port Complex consists of the Old Port, the New Port and the Dockyard and is responsible for the petroleum terminals at Antan, Odudu, Yoho and QuaIboe as well as other jetties at NIWA, McIver, NNPC, ALSCON, Dozzy and Northwest. Calabar is a multi-purpose facility.
The harbour consists of 2 terminals, A and B, and 2 smaller berths in the "Old Harbour" area. It has a channel draught of 7.5 metres. The terminals are operated by private operators under concession agreements.
The Calabar Carnival, for which the old harbour town is famous, takes place every December. As Nigeria's income is almost exclusively derived from oil and its resources must be protected for national reasons, the Nigerian government has always relied on a strong navy.
Cultural and Recreational Attractions
Millennium Park in Calabar is an amusement park that serves as a famous symbol of the city, offering various recreational activities for children and adults. Millennium Park, with its pretty and attractive garden and arcades, is a major destination for first-time visitors. Tastefully decorated to artfully showcase and embellish the rich history and culture of Cross River, it provides an excellent backdrop for carefree moments.
Located within the Calabar Marina Resort, Tortuga Island is an area with three popular plantation-style bars. The famous Tortuga Island is a seating area within the resort. The operators rave about a cocktail at sunset and a delicious grilled meat dinner. The Tinapa Resort seems to have fallen into disrepair during the Covid epidemic.
Natural Attractions
Not far from Calabar, you can visit the Kwa Waterfalls (approx. 15 km away), Ibeno Beach (30 km away) and the Cross River National Park.
The Kwa Falls is an impressive waterfall characterised by a narrow, steep gorge from top to bottom. The sparkling water plunges into the depths and forms a pool that is ideal for a variety of water sports.
Ibeno Beach is one of the Atlantic Ocean beaches along the coastline of Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State. It is the longest sandy beach in West Africa. Ibeno Beach stretches for about 30 kilometres from Ibeno to James Town along the Atlantic coast of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. With its beautiful coastline, Ibeno offers endless natural opportunities for tourism, water sports, beach football and boating.
Cross River National Park is located northeast of Calabar and borders Cameroon. The Nigerian federal government is courting investors to develop the potential of ecotourism in this and other national parks. The park's motto is "The Pride Of Nigeria".
The Kanyang Tourist Village, about an hour's drive from Calabar, will provide visitors with a base from which to visit the park and will have a lodge, restaurant and wildlife museum. Attractions include the Kwa Falls (see above). The Agbokim Falls on the Cross River plunge over a cliff into the tropical rainforest in about 7 steps.
Agbokim Falls on the Cross River
The Drill Rehabilitation Centre
The Drill Rehabilitation Centre nature reserve was founded in 1991 and is the first rehabilitation project for primates in the region. Drills orphaned by hunting are donated by local citizens or handed over after confiscation by the authorities; no animals are bought or taken from the wild. More than 75 drills have been rescued and reunited with conspecifics after a thorough medical examination.
Drills have reproduced poorly in western zoos, but the DRBC has recorded over 250 births from rehabilitated wild-born parents and their offspring, making the project the world's most successful captive breeding programme for an endangered primate. Today, 286 drills live in 6 family groups, each in their own natural habitat in an electrified enclosure of up to 9 hectares. There are plans to release the first group back into the wild.
The Drill Ranch is also home to 28 orphaned chimpanzees. As the closest relatives of humans, chimpanzees contribute greatly to the education of visitors by arousing interest and sympathy for the animal world.
The project has two locations. The original site in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, is where it all began. Today, the "Drill Ranch Calabar" serves as the project's headquarters, office, quarantine centre for new animals and veterinary practice, as well as accommodation for the managers and rotating volunteer staff. One of the project's 6 drill breeding groups is also located here so that anyone living in or visiting the state capital has the opportunity to see drills. This group now comprises 39 animals in 4 generations, including the first drill.
Educational and Medical Institutions
University Of Cross River State (Unicross) is the state's University. The Nigerian Navy maintains a cadet school in Calabar. It is a new model school, Nigerian Navy Secondary School, situated in Akpabuyo, about 10 minutes' drive from the airport.
Among the best hospitals (according to various lists on the Internet) are the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the Federal Psychiatric Hospital. The former took over the facilities of the former St Margaret's Hospital in 1979, which had been founded in 1897 as the first public hospital in Nigeria. The facilities of the maternity centre of St.
The Nigerian Navy maintains a naval hospital in Calabar, the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital. The Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital claims to be "one of the best military health facilities in Nigeria.
Climate
Under Köppen's climate classification, Calabar features a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am) amidst a lengthy wet season spanning nine months and a short dry season covering the remaining three months. The harmattan, which significantly influences weather in West Africa, is noticeably less pronounced in the city.
Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with average high temperatures usually ranging from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius. There is also little variance between daytime and nighttime temperatures, as temperatures at night are typically only a few degrees lower than the daytime high temperature.
Traditional Leadership
The Efik Kingdom patriarch is known as the Obong of Calabar. Other related nations, include the Qua Kingdom of Ejagham (Ekoi)/Bantu origin, and the Efut Kingdom. Before the colonial period, Calabar, originally known as Akwa Akpa, was a kingdom with the City of Calabar as the site of government.
Calabar has three different monarchs, the Obong of Calabar as the ruler of the Efiks and the Ekpe secret society as the stool on which the Obong of Calabar sat. The Ndidem of Calabar is the ruler of the Quas and the paramount ruler of Calabar Municipality.
Calabar people are mainly the Indigenous people of the Old Calabar Province - which are Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Biase, Odukpani and Akamkpa.
Population
Here's a table showing the population of Calabar:
| Year | Population | Density (per km2) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 371,022 | 914 |
| 2022 (Estimate) | 571,500 | - |
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