Ibadan (UK: /ɪˈbædən/, US: /ɪˈbɑːdən/;[5] Yoruba: Ìbàdàn) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria.

The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yoruba people, as well as various communities (notably Igbo, Hausa, Edo, and Ibibio) from other parts of the country.

Ibadan, coined from the phrase "Eba-Odan",[7] which literally means 'by the edge of the meadow', came into existence in 1829, during a period of turmoil that characterized Yorubaland at the time.

[9] According to local historians, Lagelu founded the city, and was initially intended to be a war camp for warriors coming from Oyo, Ife and Ijebu.

[10] As a forest site containing several ranges of hills, varying in elevation from 160 to 275 meters, the location of the camp offered strategic defense opportunities.

[citation needed] In 1852, the Church Missionary Society sent David and Anna Hinderer to found a mission.

[citation needed] The military sanctuary expanded even further when refugees began arriving in large numbers from northern Oyo following raids by Fulani warriors.

[citation needed] After losing the northern portion of their region to the marauding Fulanis, many Oyo indigenes retreated deeper into the Ibadan environs.

The Fulani Caliphate attempted to expand further into the southern region of modern-day Nigeria, but was decisively defeated by the armies of Ibadan in 1840, which eventually halted their progress.

After a small boom in rubber business (1901–1913), cocoa became the main produce of the region and attracted European and Levantine firms, as well as southern and northern traders from Lagos, Ijebu-Ode and Kano among others.

[14] Its central location and accessibility from the capital city of Lagos were major considerations in the choice of Ibadan as the headquarters of the Western Provinces (1939) which ranged from the northernmost areas of Oyo State to Ekeremor, Bomadi and Patani, which were regions transferred from the old Delta province in the Old Western region and later Mid-west to the old Rivers state and later Bayelsa, in the redistricting of Nigeria carried out by the Yakubu Gowon administration shortly before the Nigerian Civil War.

The city covers a total area of 3,080 square kilometres (1,190 sq mi), the largest in Nigeria.

November to February forms the city's dry season, during which Ibadan experiences the typical West African harmattan.

[18] Ibadan Urban – LGA Chairman Ibadan Semi-Urban – LGA Chairman The former Executive Governor of Oyo State, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, created some Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) out of some of the existing local government areas in Oyo State.

This meant that the remaining 67 km2 were devoted to non-urban uses, such as farmlands, river floodplains, forest reserves and water bodies.

These "non-urban land uses" disappeared in the 1960s: an aerial photograph in 1973 revealed that the urban landscape had completely spread over about 100 km2.

There is a museum in the building of the Institute of African Studies, which exhibits several remarkable pre-historic bronze carvings and statues.

It is named after Robert Lister Bower,[26] and is sometimes called "Láyípo"- a testament to the spiral staircase in the monument.

Established in 1967, it focuses on the agricultural and developmental needs of tropical countries, with several research stations spread across Africa.

With its strategic location on the railway line connecting Lagos to Kano,[40] the city is a major centre for trade in cassava, cocoa, cotton, timber, rubber, and palm oil.

There is abundance of clay, kaolin and aquamarine in the city environs, and there are several cattle ranches, a dairy farm as well as a commercial abattoir in Ibadan.

There are dozens of banks and Insurance firms spread out across the cityscape that service the city's millions of inhabitants.

[citation needed] Modes of transport include cabs & taxis, taxi-vans commonly called Danfos, and in more recent times mass-transit buses have commenced operations to reduce the hardship of students and workers commuting from various suburban areas to the city centre, private/personal/family cars, scooters commonly known as Okadas, Coach (bus) services, more commonly known locally as "luxurious busses", such as Alakowe Bus, ABC Transport, Cross Country ltd Etc., which operate To and Fro services linking Ibadan and all other major destinations in the country and beyond, as well as pedestrian walking.

The oldest surviving Nigerian newspaper is the Ibadan Tribune, which was founded by chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Premier of Western Nigeria.

As at 2014 the city is home to several media outlets including Galaxy TV Satellite channels are provided by The radio stations in Ibadan are increasing in number compared to 5–10 years ago,[when?]