Oron, Nigeria


Oron is a coastal city and Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is home to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria and the Oron Museum.
It has an area of 70 km and had a population of 156,461 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 523.

History

Oron became a Division in August 1970 and, in 1976, was made a Local Government Area. Following the federal government's local government creation exercise in 1989, Oron was split into three Local Government Areas: Mbo, Oron, and Okobo. Again, in September 1991, Urue-Offong/Oruko Local Government Area was carved out of Oron Local Government Area. Finally, in December 1996, Udung Uko Local Government Area was further carved out of Oron LGA.

Clan and settlement

Oron Town as it is popularly known is made up of four out of the Nine Oron people clans which are.
Afaha Okpo Clan also known as Afaha Okpo District includes;
Ibighi Clan also known as Uya Oro District includes;
Afaha Ukwong Clan which is today known as Eyo Abasi District includes;
Afaha Ubodung Clan now known as Eyotong District comprises;

Geography

Oron is in the tropical region and has a uniformly high temperature all the year round. The two main seasons are the dry which spans between October and February and wet season which starts around March and ends in September. There are also two prevailing winds – the South-West onshore winds which brings heavy rains and the North- East trade winds blowing across the Sahara Desert, which brings in the dry season.

Natural resources

The region is extremely fertile and is known for its topographical Oil Palm Belt, tropical rainforest, swamps, and beaches. The mangrove forests also provide timber and raw materials for medicinal purposes. There are also deposits of solid minerals such as iron, free silica or glass sand and gravel. Seafoods such as crayfish, snipers, oyster and periwinkle abound richly.
Oron is also rich in oil and natural gas. Most of its oil reserves are off-shore with large amounts of untapped natural gas.