List of Natural Mineral Resources Found in Cross River State

Cross Rivers state is the sanctuary for the rainforest and wildlife. It is located in the southern region of Nigeria and is a major petroleum-producing state in Nigeria. Cross River is one of the hottest spots for tourism in Nigeria. It is also one of the cleanest and safest states to live in Nigeria according to Peace Index. In the course of this article, we would be looking at a list of all the natural mineral resources in Cross Rivers state.

MINERAL RESOURCES FOUND IN CROSS RIVER STATE

Cross Rivers State is richly endowed with a lot of natural resources. They hold the largest and purest reservoir of limestone in Nigeria. They have other rich resources like brines, marble, tin, barytes in very high concentrations. Another resource that is noteworthy is Ilmenite. This mineral that is found in cross rivers state is used in the manufacture of paint. Without further ado, let us delve into our list of mineral resources in Cross River state.

• Gravel
• Limestone
• Kaolin
• Barytes
• Manganese
• Graphite
• Clay
• Natural Gas
• Petroleum Jelly
• Marble
• Brines
• Ilmenite

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN CROSS RIVER STATE

Did you know that Cross Rivers one of the most richly endowed state in Agricultural lands and produce? Their economy is enjoying a huge boost due to export commodities that they derive from their lands. Some of these commodities range from woods such as Mitogyna, Camwood, Ebony wood, Black Afara, Mahogany, Rhizophora etc, and other major plant and livestock proceedings.

They have quality forest reserves; their National park, known as the Cross River National park comprises of two forest reserves; the Oban and Boshi Okwangwo Forest Reserves.

Also, Cross Rivers State has a lot of Agro-fishery potential in terms of freshwater aquaculture and marine fisheries. This is mainly due to the fact that they have large rivers which drain areas that supports all diverse form of aquatic life.  Cross river state major aquaculture export commodities are shrimps, clams, periwinkle, and fish. Enough mouthing, let us see a comprehensive list of Agricultural natural resources that can be found in Cross River state.

• Periwinkle
• Clams
• Shrimps
• Yam
• Rice
• Plantain
• Banana
• Maize
• Palm Oil
• Natural rubber
• Cassava
• Wood

EDUCATION IN CROSS RIVERS STATE

Do you know that Cross Rivers State has one of the oldest educational institutions in the country? The name is “Hope Waddel Training Institute”. This secondary school was established by Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was the then governor of the eastern region. Of recent, there are more than 350+ educational institutions in the state.

TOURISM AND RECREATION

There are a lot of tourist attraction centres that have attracted both historical and national interest. Lets us review some of them.

• Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State

This tourist attraction centre was established in the year 1951. It is reputed as one of the most outstanding tourist attractions in West Africa.

• The Old Residency Museum in Cross River State

Did you know that this building served as the seat of power during the colonial era of the British over the Southern protectorate of Nigeria? This fortunate edifice that was built with beautiful European architecture currently serves as a part of the national museum it is one of the most interesting relics of historical and archaeological interest.

• The Carved Monoliths, Ikorn

This tourist centre comprises of beautifully carved stones that represent the ancient monuments that the ancient inhabitants made in other to honour their ancestors. These carved rocks are very beautiful artistic expressions that are under the protection of the National Commission for museums and monuments.

• Mary Slessor’s Residence and Tomb in Calabar

The house of this famous Scottish missionary was built in the heart of Okoyong in Odukpani LGA. This monumental one storey building was built in the year 1876. Mary Slessor, while serving as a missionary in Nigeria lived in that house for over half a century. Also, her tomb is located in the Calabar municipality.

• The Calabar Cenotaph

This was built to serve as a memorial to the Nigerian war heroes that were part of the world wars and the Nigerian civil war. It is located near the central bank o Nigeria in Calabar.

ETHNIC COMPOSITION

In Cross Rivers state, there are three major ethnic groups, and they are all well represented with three principal linguistic groups. These ethnic groups include; The Efik, the Ejagham and the Bekwarra. The most spoken language in this state is Efik. There are no much cultural differences among these three ethnic groups. They have a lot of striking similarities in music, dressing, drumming, and traditional religion. Efik as a language was one of the first written and officially taught languages in Nigeria.

ECONOMY

This state enjoys a very healthy and attractive economic climate. There are a large growing number of banks that are ready to support public and private sector initiatives in cross rivers state. There is a lot of revenue that the states generate from the export of some of the raw minerals and also from industry-based manufacturing of products that are sourced by the wealth of Cross Rivers’ ever-abundant natural mineral resources.