Western State

a state in southwest Nigeria. Area, 75,400 sq km; population, 9.5 million (1963 census), consisting principally of the Yoruba people. More than half of Nigeria’s largest cities (with populations exceeding 100,000) are concentrated in Western State. The city of Ibadan is the administrative center.

A large part of the territory is occupied by the Yoruba Plateau (heights of 200-500 m), which is a watershed for rivers flowing into the Bight of Benin (the Ogun, Oshun, Oni) and for right tributaries of the Niger. The climate is equatorial and monsoonal, and average monthly temperatures are 25°-28°C. The rainy season lasts eight months, with annual precipitation of 1,200 mm on the plateau and 2,000 mm and more on the coastal plain. Vegetation consists of tropical rain forests.

The economic structure is distinguished by a relatively high proportion of production for market and is based on a single-crop system producing cocoa, one of the country’s chief export items. Palm hearts, rubber, and cotton are also exported. Yams, cassava, rice, tobacco, and kola trees are cultivated for domestic consumption. There are enterprises for processing agricultural raw materials (tobacco, textile, and fruitcanning enterprises), a cement plant, and production of plastics and rubber goods. Craft industries are widespread (dyeing, wood and metal carving). Gold is mined near Ife. Ibadan, Abeokuta, and Oshogbo are the principal economic centers.