Rivers State is a state in South South Nigeria. Rivers State is dominated by the numerous rivers that flow through it, including the Bonny River. Its capital and largest city, Port Harcourt, is economically important as the centre of Nigeria's oil industry.

Cities

There are several cities in Rivers State:

• 1 Port Harcourt — a gulf city that is the centre for the oil industry in the country
• 2 Buguma
• 3 Bonny Island — island town that traditionally served as the seat for the Kingdom of Bonny
• 4 Eleme —
• 5 Okrika —
• 6 Opobo —
• 7 Oyigbo —

Understand

Rivers State is one of the states in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. According to the 2006 population census, Rivers State recorded a total population count of over 5.1 million, ranking as the 6th most populous state in the country. The state is predominantly known for its blooming petroleum industry. Popularly known for its hospitality, the state is also known to be one of the most popular industrial and commercial hubs in Nigeria.

Rivers State is a diverse state that is home to many ethnic groups, the majority being Igbo or Igboid, but also including the Ogoni and Ijaw. The state is particularly noted for its linguistic diversity, with 28 indigenous languages being said to be spoken in Rivers State, dominant of which, are the Igbo speaking groups, the Ogoni and Ijaw languages.

The economy of Rivers State is dominated by the state's booming petroleum industry. Although the rise of the oil industry has led to increased revenue for the state government, mismanagement and corruption have prevented the state from rapid development and meaningfully tackling poverty. The state's population is 90% Christians and 10% orthodox with few strangers practising Islam unconventionally.

Climate

Rainfall is generally seasonal, variable, as well as heavy, and occurs between the months of March and October through November. The wet season peaks in July, lasting more than 290 days. The only dry months are January and February having little to no effect.

Talk

Although most people in the state speak enough English to get by, it is best learning a few words and phrases in Ikwerre, the dominant language of the state.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. By passenger volume, Port Harcourt International Airport is the country's third-busiest international airport. The airport, which is located in the heart of Nigeria's oil and gas hub, is critical to the country's economic prosperity. (updated Jan 2022)

By bus

You can also get into Rivers state by bus. There are bus services that can get you into Rivers state from any part of the country, the most popular ones are the:

• God is good motors (GIGM)
• ABC Transport
• GUO Transport
• Agofure Motors

and a host of others. The beauty of this is that most of the bus services do have an online presence with a brilliant website to follow, so all you need to do is to log on to their website or mobile app, book a seat online and pay online, you can also select your preferred seat online, so on your scheduled travel date, all you need to do is to get to the bus terminal and get on your transport and journey into Rivers State.

By train

There are also rail services to Port Harcourt, in Rivers state, although it is limited to a once-weekly train from Kano, via Kaduna run by Nigeria Railway Corporation. The terminus 2 Port Harcourt Central railway station is on Station Rd.

By boat

• From Nembe, you can get into Rivers State by ferry.

Get around

Getting around in Rivers state can be done by going around in a bus, which is quite common in the state, also in some parts of the state, there is the availability of taxis (popular cab service in the state), motorcycles are also available for one-off movement and transport. In urban areas of the state, there is the availability of car-hailing transportation like the popular Bolt and Uber to get you around in the state.

See

• Finimanature Park, behinde Ra3 lng round-about Finima Bonny Island, Bonny, 500272, Port Harcourt, ☏ +234 806 536 2346. This is a nature park in Bonny Island, Rivers state, Tourists to the state should ensure they see this park. (updated Jan 2022)
• Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, Peace Park, Between Army Bori Camp and Airforce base junction, City Centre, Port Harcourt. Another cool park in Rivers State (updated Jan 2022)