AfricaNigeriaRivers State
Okrika
Rivers State, Nigeria · Africa
About Okrika
Okrika sits on the route: 15 minutes from Nchia.
Okrika is in Rivers State, Nigeria, with about 130,000 people. The nearest town is Nchia, about 7 km away.
Okrika is a town and Local Government Area (LGA) in Rivers State, Nigeria, with Okrika town serving as its administrative headquarters.
Okrika LGA is one of the 10 ijaw LGAs in Rivers State. It lies within the Rivers East Senatorial District and shares boundaries with Eleme LGA to the north and east, Ogu/Bolo LGA toRead more
the south, and Port Harcourt LGA to the west.
As of 2022, the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board estimated the population of Okrika LGA at over 379,000, distributed across 143 communities.
Okrika's primary economic activity is fishing, while Christianity is the dominant religion, with some residents practicing African Traditional Religion. Many residents in Okirika are from neighbouring Ijaw villages, which has influenced Okirika culture.
The town is located at an average elevation of 452 m (1,483 ft) and lies to the north of the Bonny River on Okrika Island, approximately 56 km (35 mi) from the Bight of Bonny. It is accessible to vessels with a maximum draft of 9 m (30 ft).
Initially established as a fishing settlement by Ijaw migrants from various central Ijaw clans and from the Wilberforce Island region, Okrika became the capital of the Okrika Kingdom in the early 17th century. During this period, the community, like others in the region, was involved in the slave trade. After the abolition of the slave trade in the 1830s, Okrika became a port for exporting palm oil, though it was less prominent than Bonny (46 kilometres or 29 miles to the south) and Opobo (81 kilometres or 50 miles to the east-southeast).
By 1912, Okrika had lost its significance as a trading hub, overshadowed by Port Harcourt. It regained commercial relevance in 1965 with the completion of the Port Harcourt refinery and the construction of pipelines to a jetty on Okrika Mainland. The area also hosts the Alakiri gas plant, which supplies gas to the refinery and other facilities.
Currently, refined petroleum products are one of Okrika's main exports. The town also engages in local trade of fish, oil palm products, processed salt, cassava, taro, plantains, and yams. However, the fishing industry has been impacted by environmental pollution linked to crude oil activities.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Okrika?
Okrika is in Rivers State, Nigeria, about 7 km from Nchia.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 133,271
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- Nigeria
- Region
- Rivers State
- Timezone
- Africa/Lagos
- Coordinates
- 4.7421, 7.0837
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When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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