South West
Ekiti State
Capital: Ado-Ekiti · Created 1996 · ≈3.4 million · Area 6,353 km²
Population
≈3.4 million
Size
6,353 km²
Capital
Ado-Ekiti
Year created
1996
Geopolitical zone
South West
Languages
Yoruba (Ekiti dialect) · English
Ethnic groups
- Yoruba (Ekiti)
Natural resources
- Kaolin
- Feldspar
- Granite
- Cassiterite
- Columbite
Signature foods
- Iyan (pounded yam) with efo riro or egusi
- Amala with gbegiri
- Ekuru
- Moi moi
Notable people
- Ayo Fayose (former governor)
- Kayode Fayemi (former governor)
- Femi Falana (human-rights lawyer)
- Wole Soyinka (linked via Yoruba heritage; family roots in nearby Isara)
Culture, values & festivals
- Ekiti Ege wrestling festival
- Udiroko festival
- 'Ekiti fun ara wa' — proud communal identity
- High density of PhDs and teachers per capita
Top places to visit in Ekiti
- 1
Ikogosi Warm Springs
Rare warm + cold springs meeting side by side without mixing.
- 2
Arinta Waterfall, Ipole-Iloro
Seven-tier waterfall in tropical rainforest.
- 3
Fajuyi Memorial Park, Ado-Ekiti
Tomb of the assassinated 1966 military governor of the Western Region.
- 4
Olosunta and Orole hills, Ikere
Sacred hills with rock carvings and annual festivals.
About the South West
Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo. Yoruba homeland, commercial capital, oldest universities.