Warri
—  City  —
Warri Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 5°31′N 5°45′E / 5.517°N 5.75°E / 5.517; 5.75
Country	Nigeria
State	Delta State

Warri is a major oil city in Delta State, Nigeria, with a population of over 300,000 people according to the national population figures for 2006.^[1] . The people of Warri are mainly the Urhobos, Itsekiris, and Ijaws, but other ethnic groups also live within the city. Warri is predominantly Christian, as is most of Southern Nigeria. The city is known nationwide for its unique Pidgin English.

History[link]

Warri sits on the bank of the Niger Delta and has a modern seaport which serves as the cargo transit point between the Niger River and the Atlantic Ocean for import and export. The city's history dates back to the 15th century, when it was visited by Portuguese missionaries. Subsequently it served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Warri became a more important port city during the late 19th century, when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins.^[1]

Warri was then established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.^[2] There have been a tremendous growth in the population; it has grown from being a rural area to an urban area.

At the end of the 1990s the Warri Crisis broke out in the city and at the outskirts.

Demographics[link]

Warri Metropolis has expanded due to infrastructural development to include boundary towns such as Uvwie, Udu and Okpe in recent years, with various road networks linking these places into one. Each of these towns has its own administrative structure.

Climatic conditions[link]

Warri is surrounded by a tropical rain forest and swamp. The region experiences high rainfall and high humidity for most part of the year. The climate is equatorial and is marked by two distinct seasons. The Dry and Rainy seasons. The Dry season lasts from about November to April and is significantly marked by the cool "harmarttan" dusty haze from the north-east winds. The Rainy season spans May to October with a brief dry spell in August.But it frequently rains even in the Dry season. The area is characterized by tropical equatorial climate with mean annual temperature of 32.8C and annual rainfall amount of 2673.8mm. There are high temperatures of 36C and 37C. The natural vegetation is of rainforest with swamp forest in some areas. The forest is rich in timber trees, palm trees, as well as fruit trees.

Economy and infrastructure[link]

There is a refinery located at Ekpan, a nearby town to warri with majority of international and local oil companies operating in Nigeria having their operational offices within the city. One of the nations major sea ports is sited within the city.

Security[link]

Warri is garrisoned by the Amphibious Infantry battalion (Effurun Army Base) located in Effurun, a nearby town to Warri and is administratively under the Brigade HQ in Port Harcourt. There is also the Warri Naval Base located along the bank of the Warri river.

Entertainment[link]

Sports[link]

Warri has a stadium with a capacity of 20,000, which has hosted two editions of the African Women Football Championship in 2002 and 2006 respectively and was in contention as one of the venues to be used for the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009. Also, the city has a football team (warri wolves) playing in the Nigerian Premiership football league.

Media[link]

Warri has a state-operated television and radio station (Delta Rainbow Television and Delta State Radio) while Jeremi FM station (JFm), a private radio station also operates within the city.

Manufacturing and raw materials[link]

The economic base of the city lies in the presence of a refinery and other oil and gas companies.

Also,there is the steel company, Delta Steel Company, which is located in Ovwian–Aladja area of Udu. Delta Steel Company, this company has been bought over by Global Steel Company.

The Beta Glass Plant is located nearby, outside the town of Ughelli, where the land is rich in silica and silicates, raw materials required for the manufacture of glass, ceramics and cement. The Power Holding Company, one of Nigeria's power generating stations, is also located at Ughelli, which is just 15 minutes away by car.

Transport[link]

Rail[link]

In 1991, construction started on a standard gauge railway from the steel mills at Ajaokuta to the port of Warri, about 275 km away. By 2006, the standard gauge lines had reached 329 km in length, but the final 27 km Warri section is still incomplete. In 2010, work recommenced to complete that final section to Warri.

Road[link]

Major road networks within Warri Metropolis has been improved upon by the state government to improve the image of the city. Transportation within the city is mainly by bus and motorcycle. The federal government has completed the Warri-Benin Road Dualisation and is presently working on the Effurun-Port Harcourt Road Dualisation East-West Project.

Air[link]

Transport by air into the city is through Osubi Airstrip (also known as Warri Airport) which is located in Osubi, a nearby town.

Arik Air and Aero Contractors are some of the main airlines operating commercial flights on this route while major oil companies like Shell and Chevron use the airport for transportation of their staff to offshore locations.

Sea[link]

Movement of goods by sea is through the Nigerian Ports Authority (Delta Ports), which is mainly for export and import of goods by major companies. Also located on the main Warri riverside are markets and jetties used by local traders, which act as a transit point for local transport and trade. There are local boats which are used for movement from one location to another.

Educational Institutions[link]

There are various institutions of higher learning sited within the Warri Metropolis

• Federal University of Petroleum Resource Effurun (FUPRE) at Effurun,
• Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) at Effurun
• College of Education Warri
• The Delta State Nursing School Warri .

Tourism[link]

There are investment opportunities in the tourism sector within Warri and in nearby towns. Abraka is just one of these towns, a favourite destination for domestic and international tourists. It is just 30 minutes away from Warri by car. The Abraka beach is famous for its natural flowing spring water, and has sports and recreational facilities for outdoor activities like canoeing, fishing, swimming, barbecue, and picnicking.

There are various tourist sites to visit while in Warri:

• Abraka Golf Course
• Red Mangrove swamp
• Warri City Stadium
• Uvwie modern market
• Word of Life Bible Church Building
• Udu Bridge
• Effurun Garden Park
• Osubi Airport
• Main Warri Market

^[3]

References[link]

See also[link]

• Railway stations in Nigeria

Coordinates: 5°31′N 5°45′E / 5.517°N 5.75°E / 5.517; 5.75

v t e Delta State State capital: Asaba LGAs Aniocha North Aniocha South Bomadi Burutu Ethiope East Ethiope West Ika North East Ika South Isoko North Isoko South Ndokwa East Ndokwa West Okpe Oshimili North Oshimili South Patani Sapele Udu Ughelli North Ughelli South Ukwuani Uvwie Warri North Warri South Warri South West