City in southwest Nigeria, capital of Oyo State, 145 km/90 mi northeast of Lagos; population (2007 est) 3,847,500. Ibadan is the second-largest city in the country, and is a major commercial, industrial, and administrative centre. It is a marketplace for cocoa and other local agricultural produce. Industries include chemicals, electronics, plastics, and motor vehicle assembly; many small businesses, including flour-milling, leather-working, and furniture-making, also flourish, while craft industries include weaving, dyeing, and pottery.
History Ibadan is the largest city of African origin south of the Sahara. It grew rapidly as a defensible site during the struggles among the Yoruba people during the late 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries. As a military stronghold,
Ibadan ruled the empire of the same name in the late 19th century. Parts of the city's ancient protective walls still stand.
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