South West
Oyo State
Capital: Ibadan · Created 1976 · ≈8.5 million · Area 28,454 km²
Population
≈8.5 million
Size
28,454 km²
Capital
Ibadan
Year created
1976
Geopolitical zone
South West
Languages
Yoruba (Oyo, Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Oke-Ogun) · English
Ethnic groups
- Yoruba (majority — Oyo, Ibadan)
Natural resources
- Marble
- Kaolin
- Feldspar
- Aquamarine
- Tantalite
- Cassiterite
Signature foods
- Amala with gbegiri and ewedu ('Abula')
- Iyan
- Ofada rice with ayamase
- Ikokore
Notable people
- Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate)
- Bola Ige (politician)
- Lamidi Adedibu (political godfather)
- Femi Kuti (musician — family roots)
- Adegoke Adelabu ("Penkelemesi")
- Chief Obafemi Awolowo (born in Ogun, educated in Ibadan)
Culture, values & festivals
- Oyo Empire heritage — Alaafin of Oyo is a paramount ruler
- Ibadan — Africa's largest city by area until Lagos overtook it
- First university in Nigeria (UI, 1948)
- Home to Cocoa House — West Africa's first skyscraper
Top places to visit in Oyo
- 1
Old Oyo National Park
Ruins of the ancient Oyo Empire capital + wildlife reserve.
- 2
Agodi Gardens & Zoo, Ibadan
Colonial-era park with wildlife and boat rides.
- 3
Cocoa House, Ibadan
First high-rise in tropical Africa (1965).
- 4
Bower's Tower (Layipo)
Historic 1936 tower with panoramic Ibadan views.
- 5
Alaafin of Oyo's Palace
Working traditional palace of the historic Oyo throne.
- 6
IITA Ibadan
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture — historic tours.
About the South West
Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo. Yoruba homeland, commercial capital, oldest universities.