It lies along the west bank of the Aba River and is at the intersection of roads leading to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot-Abasi.

[3] Aba was established by the Ngwa clan of the Igbo people in Nigeria as a market town.

[4] The city became a collection point for agricultural products following construction of a British-made railway running through it to Port Harcourt.

Aba is a major urban settlement and commercial centre in Abia State, which is surrounded by small villages and towns.

As of 2016[update], Aba had an estimated population of 2,534,265, making it the biggest city in South Eastern Nigeria.

[1] Aba, although acting as a unified city, is composed of many urban and rural towns, including Aba-Ukwu, Eziukwu-Aba, Obuda-Aba and Umuokpoji-Aba.

[citation needed] The Aro Expedition, which was part of a larger military plan to quell anti-colonial sentiment in the region, took place in the area of Aba between 1901 and 1902.

During this military action, the British defeated the native Aro people with a presumably large number of casualties.

The protests spread throughout the region, but remained peaceful until a pregnant woman was knocked over during a "scuffle", and the lady lost her child.

During the height of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, the capital of Biafra was moved to Umuahia from Enugu.

Aba was a very strategic Biafran city and was heavily bombed and air-raided during the Civil War.

[citation needed] Aba is surrounded by oil wells, which separate it from the city of Port Harcourt.

[3] Its major economic contributions are textiles and palm oil,[4] along with pharmaceuticals, plastics, cement, and cosmetics.

[3] There are ongoing construction projects in Enyimba Economic Area and Abia State Industrial Innovation Park in Ukwa East and West local government areas to overcome the challenges of unplanned urban sprawl facing the city.

[citation needed] With the arrival of the Pentecostal brand of Christianity in Nigeria, the city got an enormous share for itself.

[citation needed] The plan was criticised as a potential scam, as the private company involved in the project had no experience in developing monorails.

[18][19][20] The management of waste in Aba is primarily overseen by the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA).

[citation needed] Although faced with significant challenges that are compounded by rapid urbanization and population growth the recent administration of Dr Alex Otti has had much greater success in solving waste management in the city, with one refuse dumps being cleared all over the city.

January, February, March, April, May, November, and December are the ideal months to travel.