Otuocha

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Otuocha
Town
Coordinates: 6°20′18″N 6°51′02″E / 6.33833°N 6.85056°E / 6.33833; 6.85056
Local Government Area	Anambra East
State	Anambra State
Country	Nigeria
Area
• Total	238.0 sq mi (616.4 km2)
Languages
• National language	Igbo
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

Otuocha^[a] // ^ⓘ is a populated town in Nigeria and serves as the capital of Anambra East, a local government area of Anambra State, Nigeria. It was previously a divisional headquarters of the Anambra Divisional Council during the First Republic of Nigeria (1963–1966).^[1] Otuocha was located on the northern side of Biafra, a short-lived nation,^[2] and was one of the food baskets of the nation due to its large market during the Nigerian Civil War.^[3] It was also regarded as the oldest Local Government headquarters of old Anambra before 1991 when it was split to make up the four prevalent local governments: Anambra East, Anambra West, Oyi, and Ayamelum.^[4]

It has a large population, as many people from different ethnic groups in Nigeria dwell in the area. These people include not only the Igbo natives of Aguleri and Umueri but also others from various parts of Nigeria, including the Igala, Hausa, Ijaw, Yoruba, etc. According to oral sources from Umueri, Otuocha land was earlier known as "Otu-Oche" and was a farmstead belonging to the people of Aguleri and Amukwa-Adegbe Village of ancient Umueri Kingdom.

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