Cross River State sits in Nigeria’s South South geopolitical zone, with its capital at Calabar. The state has 18 local government areas and had a population of 2,892,988 at the 2006 census, projected to 4,406,200 by 2022. Every LGA below links to its full town-and-village list where we cover it.
Local Government Areas in Cross River State
The table lists all 18 official LGAs alphabetically, with census and projection figures for each.
| LGA | 2006 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Abi | 144,317 | 219,800 |
| Akamkpa | 149,705 | 228,000 |
| Akpabuyo | 272,262 | 414,700 |
| Bakassi | 31,641 | 48,200 |
| Bekwara | 105,497 | 160,700 |
| Biase | 168,113 | 256,000 |
| Boki | 186,611 | 284,200 |
| Calabar Municipal | 183,681 | 279,800 |
| Calabar South | 191,515 | 291,700 |
| Etung | 80,036 | 121,900 |
| Ikom | 163,691 | 249,300 |
| Obanliku | 109,633 | 167,000 |
| Obubra | 172,543 | 262,800 |
| Obudu | 161,457 | 245,900 |
| Odukpani | 192,884 | 293,800 |
| Ogoja | 171,574 | 261,300 |
| Yakurr | 196,271 | 298,900 |
| Yala | 211,557 | 322,200 |
Cross River State has 18 official local government areas; 8 have full town-and-village lists on this site, with more being added over time.
Geography
Cross River State lies in Nigeria’s coastal southeast, bordering Benue State to the north, Ebonyi and Abia states to the west, Akwa Ibom State to the southwest, Cameroon to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean along its southern edge. The Cross River, from which the state takes its name, flows south through the territory toward the coast at Calabar, feeding mangrove and freshwater swamp forest near the estuary. Inland, the terrain rises through dense lowland rainforest into highland country at the Obudu Plateau in the north, where cooler temperatures and grassland set it apart from the rest of the state. The state holds one of the largest surviving blocks of tropical rainforest in Nigeria, protected within the Oban and Okwangwo divisions of Cross River National Park. That forest is one of the last homes of the critically endangered Cross River gorilla, found only along this border zone with Cameroon, alongside drill monkeys and forest elephants. Villages along the Ikom–Ekok road sit close to the Cameroon border, and communities in the far south front directly onto the Atlantic and the creeks around the Calabar and Cross River estuaries. Calabar itself sits on a peninsula between the Calabar River and the Great Kwa River, a short distance upstream from where both meet the wider Cross River estuary.
Economy & Local Life
Farming drives daily life across most of Cross River State, with cocoa, oil palm, rubber, cassava, rice, yam and cocoyam grown widely in the forest belt and along the river valleys. Cocoa in particular has been a mainstay export crop for decades, especially around Ikom, Boki and Etung. Timber and non-timber forest products, including bush mango and bamboo, support communities near the rainforest belt, while fishing and boat transport sustain riverine and coastal towns along the Cross River and the Atlantic shoreline. Calabar works as Nigeria’s oldest port town and a modern trading and services hub, with a history stretching back to the transatlantic and later palm-oil trade eras and a spell as capital of the old Southern Nigeria Protectorate. Tourism adds real income today through the Obudu Mountain Resort and its cable car, the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, and the annual Calabar Carnival, marketed as Africa’s biggest street party and held each December alongside a month-long Calabar Christmas Festival. Cross-border trade with Cameroon moves through the Ikom axis and its border markets, and local markets across the state’s Efik, Ejagham, Bekwarra, Yala and other communities remain the backbone of everyday commerce. Calabar’s long history as a trading port, including the 19th-century Presbyterian mission era associated with Mary Slessor, still shapes the city’s mix of colonial-era buildings, churches and modern hospitality and event businesses built around the carnival calendar.
FAQ
How many local government areas are in Cross River State?
Cross River State has 18 local government areas.
What is the capital of Cross River State?
Calabar is the capital of Cross River State.
What is the population of Cross River State?
Cross River State recorded a population of 2,892,988 at the 2006 census, projected to reach 4,406,200 by 2022.
Which LGA in Cross River State has the largest population?
Akpabuyo is the most populous LGA in Cross River State, with 272,262 residents at the 2006 census and a 2022 projection of 414,700.
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