South_South_(Nigeria)
South South
Place in Nigeria
The South South (often hyphenated to South-South) is one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. It designates both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.
The zone stretches along the Atlantic seaboard from the Bight of Benin coast in the west to the Bight of Bonny coast in the east. It encloses much of the Niger Delta, which is instrumental in the environment and economic development of the region. Geographically, the zone is divided with the Central African mangroves in the coastal far south while the major inland ecoregions are–from east to west–the Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests, Cross–Niger transition forests, Niger Delta swamp forests, and Nigerian lowland forests.
Although the South South represents only ~5% of Nigerian territory, it contributes greatly to the Nigerian economy due to extensive oil and natural gas reserves. With 2 of the major oil refineries being located there, one in Eleme, a Local government area in Rivers State and the other being in Warri, Delta state. The zone has a population of about 26 million people, around 12% of the total population of the country
Port Harcourt and Benin City are the most populous cities in the South-South, and the fourth- and fifth-most populous cities, respectively, in all Nigeria. Port Harcourt and its suburbs, together called Greater Port Harcourt, form the largest metropolitan area in the zone, with about 3 million people.
Other large South-South cities include (in descending order by population) Warri/Uvwie, Calabar, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ugep, Sapele, Buguma, Uromi, Ughelli, Ikom, and Asaba.[1]
