Port Harcourt

 

(här'kərt, –kôrt) , city (1991 est. pop. 362,000), SE Nigeria, a deepwater port on the Bonny River in the Niger delta. It is an industrial and commercial center where steel and aluminum products, pressed concrete, glass, tires, paint, footwear, furniture, and cigarettes are manufactured and bicycles and motor vehicles are assembled. Port Harcourt, the operational headquarters of the Nigerian petroleum industry, refines oil and pipes it mostly to Bonny for export. Palm oil and kernels, cacao, coal, tin, and peanuts are Port Harcourt's chief exports. The city is also a rail terminus and has an airport. Port Harcourt was founded by the British in 1912 and named for Lewis, Viscount Harcourt, secretary of state for the colonies (1910–15).

Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Nickname: Garden City
Map of Nigeria showing the location of Port Harcourt in Nigeria.
Coordinates: 4°′N 7°00′E / 4.75, 7
Province	Rivers State
Government
- Mayor	Azubuike Nmerukini
Area
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
- Land	km² ( sq mi)
- Water	km² ( sq mi)
- Metro	km² ( sq mi)
Population (2007)
- City
- Metro
	estimated
Time zone	CET ([[UTC+1]])
- Summer (DST)	CEST ([[UTC+1]])

Port Harcourt is the capital city of Rivers State, Nigeria. It lies along the Bonny River and is located in the Niger Delta.^[1] Its mayor is Azubuike Nmerukini.^[2]

History

Port Harcourt originally known as "Igwe Ocha" was founded in 1912 by the British in an area traditionally inhabited by the Ikwerre and the Ijaw^[3]; it was named after Lewis, Viscount Harcourt, Secretary of State for the Colonies.^[4] The initial purpose of the port was to export coal from Enugu.

Geography and Infrastructure

Some of Port Harcourt's more popular and well-known residential areas are G.R.A phases 1-5, Abuloma, Amadi-ama, Amadi Flats, Borokiri, Rumuokoro,Rumodara, Woji, Presidential Housing Estate, Rumibekwe Housing Estate, and Elekahia Estate. The main industrial area is located in Trans Amadi.

There are two universities within the city, the University of Port Harcourt^[5] and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.^[6] The Podium Block of Rivers State Secretariat is the icon of the city, an eighteen storey building, it has the tallest building in the South/South and South/East Geopolitical zones combined. There are two seaports (F.O.T Onne, PortHarcourt Wharf), two stadiums (Sharks Football Stadium and Liberation Stadium) and two refineries.

The city is sprawling in nature as building codes and zoning regulations are poorly enforced. Land is cleared and 'lean to' buildings constructed sometimes overnight. This adds to flooding and sanitation problems since with no proper drainage or sewer system, parts of the city flood during the very heavy monsoon-type rains that fall for half the year.^[7]

The city's metropolitan area makes up greater Port Harcourt, which consists of Port Harcourt City Council, Obio/Akpor, Eleme, and Oyigbo.^{[citation needed]}

Transport

The main city of Port Harcourt is the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. it has Azikiwe Road, Aggrey Road, Eastern Bye-Pass, The Beginnings Of PHC-Aba Express Road and Ikwere Road as its major roads. The Port Harcourt Urban Area its made up of the city itself and Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. Its major roads are the Extensions of PHC-Aba Express Road and Ikwere Road, Olu Obasanjo Road, Airport Road, East-West Road, Refinery Road, Stadium Roads and many others. While the entire Port Harcourt Agglomoration/ Greater Port Harcourt Area/ Port Harcourt Metropolitan Aea as you may see it is made up of 6 L.G.As i.e PHC L.G.A, OBALGA, Oyigbo, Diobu, Ikwere, Eleme and Okirika. The city has an International Airport- Port Harcourt International Airport and Port Harcourt-Garden City Terminal. it has a Railway system and also Two Seaports.

Economy

The city is a major industrial center as it has a large number of multinational firms as well as other industrial concerns, particularly business related to the petroleum industry. It is the chief oil-refining city in Nigeria, oil being one of Nigeria's most important commodities and the main foreign exchange earner.

References

External links

• The Expat's Guide to Port Harcourt
• Wikimapia
• Photos of Nigeria: Port Harcourt city and Rivers State, and the petroleum industry there
• Official Site of the River State Government

Coordinates: 4°47′N, 7°00′E

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