Akwa Ibom Isong-ooo!

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Akwa Ibom state is located within the South – Eastern axis of Nigeria and is now a part of the South South Geo-Political zone.

‘THE LAND of PROMISE’ sits astride a seemingly interminable sand bank, a pasture of dominant vegetation of green foliage trees, shrubs and a vast oil palm belt reputed to hold the highest density of cash crop in the world.

Wedged between Cross River, Abia, and Rivers on the sandy coastal plain of the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered on the south by the Atlantic Ocean which stretches from Ikot Abasi to Oron. A sprawling volume of water seemingly kissing the skyline from flank to flank.

Trigonometrically, Akwa Ibom State lies between latitude 40 32’ and 5 0 53’ North; and Longitudes 70 25’ and 80 25’ East. In terms of structural make up, Akwa Ibom is triangular in shape and covers a total land area of 8,412 km2, encompassing the Qua Iboe River Basin, the western part of the lower Cross River Basin and the Eastern part of the Imo River Basin. With an ocean front which spans a distance of 129 kilometers from Ikot Abasi in the west to Oron in the east, Akwa Ibom presents a picture of captivating coastal, mangrove forest and beautiful sandy beach resorts.

TOPOGRAPHY
The landscape of Akwa Ibom is mostly flat. This is because the underlying geology of the state is predominantly coastal plain sediments. The coastal nature of the state makes it the natural deposit of mosaic of marine, deltaic, estuarine, lagoonal and fluvio-lacustrine material. Around Itu and Ibiono Ibom Local Area Councils, the topography of the land is undulating with some areas as high as 200 feet above sea level, while there are in some areas valleys, marshes, ravines and swamps due to influence of Atlantic Ocean, Qua Ibo, Imo and the Cross Rivers.

On the basis of terrain and landform types, the State has five major physiographic regions namely;

1. Alluvial Plains, comprising of the mangrove swamp and flood plain mangrove; swamps of the plain comprising tidal mudflats are extensively developed throughout the coastal area of the state, from the estuary of Imo River at Ikot Abasi to the estuary of the Cross River at Oron.

2. The Beach Ridge Sands consists of seaward mangrove swamps and floodplain zones that give way the beach sands that stretch to the swamp margins of the shoreline. Here the topography of the beach ridges rolls gently downwards from the mangrove swamps to the shoreline with an average elevation of between 30 – 50 meters above sea level. The beach ridge zones comprises of lands bordering the Guinea coast, such as Ikot Abasi, Onna, Eket, Uquo, Ibeno and Oron with the beach being most expansive in Upenekang and Mkpanak where Mobil Producing Nigeria is located.

3. The Rolling Sandy Plains is made up of gently undulating plains. This zone covers 75 per cent of Akwa Ibom State. A major physical attribute of the zone is its scanty drainage network which permits development of extensive river interfluves of gently rolling landscape and luxuriant greenish vegetation.

4. The dissected upland belt characterized by steep-sided sandstone hills and ridges separated by deep valleys around Tropical Rain Forest Itu, Ikono and Ini areas of the state. An amazing land of enchanting steep-sided hills, valleys and sharp-crested sandstone ridges. These steep-sided valleys which resemble gorges at many locations often transform into yawning ravines.

5. The Obotme Isolated Hill, which changes the topography from a gentle rolling country side to a highly dissected landscape. What is experienced here is the sudden rise in the terrain of Akwa Ibom State to about 150 meters above sea level as one moves towards Obotme in Ini Local Government Area of the state. The many narrow valleys with surface streams and vast stretches of wetlands serve as local fishing grounds for the inhabitants.

CLIMATE
The location of Akwa Ibom just north of the Equator and within the humid tropics and its proximity to the sea makes the state generally humid. On the basis of its geographical location the climate of Akwa Ibom State can be described as a tropical rainy type which experiences abundant rainfall with very high temperature.

The mean annual temperature of the state lies between 260 C and 280 C, while mean annual rainfall ranges from 2000 mm to 3000 mm, depending on the area. Naturally, maximum humidity is recorded in July while the minimum occurs in January. Thick cloud cumulonimbus type is commonly experienced in the months of March to November. Evaporation is high with annual values that range from 1500 mm to 1800 mm.

As with every Nigerian coastal area, the state experiences two main seasons, the wet and the dry seasons. The wet or rainy season lasts between eight to nine months starting from mid-march till the end of November.

The dry season has a short duration of between the last week of November or early December and lasts till early march. Despite the seasonal variations, by the nature and location of the state along the coast which exposes it to hot maritime air mass, rainfall is expected every month of the year.