Anambra's name began as colonial shorthand: the Anam branch of the river
In south-eastern Nigeria, bronzes dug up at Igbo-Ukwu reveal a kingdom whose priest-kings held sway for nearly a thousand years. Today the same state is home to one of West Africa's biggest markets and Nigeria's first carmaker. Even its name has a quirky origin, stitched from a clan and an English word.
Anambra lies in Nigeria's Igbo heartland, with Awka as its capital and the river port of Onitsha as its largest city. Officially the state takes its name from the Omambala River, a tributary of the Niger, and Anambra is usually explained as an anglicised form of that river's name. Another account traces it to British officials heading north, who called the area the Anam branch after the last Igbo-speaking clan they met on the river.
Excavations at Igbo-Ukwu and Ezira show settled civilisation from at least the 9th century AD, with sophisticated work in iron, bronze, copper and pottery. Igbo-Ukwu was the seat of the Kingdom of Nri, and a system of sacred kingship governed the area from about 948 AD until 1911. Under colonial indirect rule, Britain recognised some traditional rulers and appointed others as Warrant Chiefs charged with collecting taxes. Awka served as the craft centre of Nri influence, while Onitsha grew as an independent trading city on the Niger.
Modern Anambra is densely packed. It is second only to Lagos in population density, and one 45 km stretch of villages between Oba and Amorka averages around 1,500 to 2,000 people per square kilometre; more than 60 percent of residents live in towns. The old, larger Anambra State was carved from East Central State in 1976 and split in 1991, when Enugu became a separate state and Awka took over as capital. During the civil war of 1967 to 1970 the area lay within secessionist Biafra, and an airstrip at Uli code-named Annabelle received dangerous night relief flights carrying food and medicine.
Commerce defines it now. Onitsha's market draws traders from across West Africa, Nnewi has been nicknamed the Taiwan of Nigeria and hosts the carmaker Innoson, and in 2012 an indigenous firm struck oil in the Anambra River basin. The state also claims the first 20-year structural plans for its cities in Nigeria, drawn up with UN-Habitat for 2009 to 2028.
Source: Anambra State
