Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states. Rivers state is home to many ethnic groups: Ikwerre, Igbo, Ijaw, Kalabari, Etche, Ogba, Ogoni and others.
The inland part of Rivers state consists of tropical rainforest; towards the coast the typical Niger Delta environment features many mangrove swamps.
Rivers state, named after the many rivers that border its territory, was part of the Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 till 1893, when it became part of the Niger Coast Protectorate. In 1900 the region was merged with the chartered territories of the Royal Niger Company to form the colony of Southern Nigeria.
Rivers State has one of the largest economies in Nigeria, mainly because of its crude oil. The State has two major refineries, two major seaports, airports, and various industrial estates spread across the state, particularly in the State capital.
