Umuahia

Umuahia, town, capital of Abia state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the railroad from Port Harcourt to Enugu. It is an agricultural market centre and (since 1916) a collecting point on the railway for the crops of the surrounding region: yams, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), taro, citrus fruits, and palm oil and kernels. The town has a palm oil–processing plant and several breweries, and the National Root Crops Research Institute, at Umudike, is adjacent to the town. Umuahia has teacher-training colleges, Trinity College (theological), and several hospitals. Pop. (2016 est.) urban agglom., 330,000.