Yorubaland
Ilẹ̀ Káàárọ̀-Oòjíire Southwest & part of North Central Nigeria, Southeast & Central Benin, East-Central Togo | |
|---|---|
Cultural region | |
| Nickname: Ilẹ̀ Oòduà | |
 Location of Yorubaland (green) in West Africa (white) | |
| Part of |  Benin Nigeria Togo |
| Earliest dated Ifẹ̀ artefact | 500 BC |
| - Ifẹ Empire | 11th century |
| - Oyo Empire | 1300 |
| - British Colony | 1862 |
| - French Colony | 1872 |
| - Dahomey (Now Benin) | 1904 |
| - Nigeria | 1914 |
| Founded by | Proto-Yoruba and Proto-Edekiri speaking peoples |
| Regional capital | •Ìbàdàn (Political) •Ilé-Ifẹ̀ (Cultural/Spiritual) •Èkó (Economic) |
| Former seat | • Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé (Old capital of the Oyo Empire) |
| Composed of | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Monarchies • Ọba (King) • Ògbóni (Legislature) • Olóye (Chiefs) • Balógun (Generalissimo) • Baálẹ̀ (Village/Regional heads in Western Yorubaland) • Ọlọ́jà (Village/Regional heads in Eastern Yorubaland) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 181,300 km2 (70,000 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,055 m (3,461 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | −0.2 m (−0.7 ft) |
| Population (2015 estimate) | |
| • Total | ~ 55 million |
| • Density | 387/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| In Nigeria, Benin and Togo | |
| Demographics | |
| • Language | Yoruba, Yoruboid languages |
| • Religion | Christianity, Islam, Ìṣẹ̀ṣè |
| Time zone | WAT (Nigeria, Benin), GMT (Togo) |
| People | Ọmọ Yorùbá |
|---|---|
| Language | Èdè Yorùbá |
| Country | Ilẹ̀ Káàárọ̀-Oòjíire (Ilẹ̀ Yorùbá / Ilẹ̀ Oòduà) |
| Part of a series on |
| Yorùbá people |
|---|
 |
Yorubaland (Yoruba: Ilẹ̀ Káàárọ̀-Oòjíire) is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 (54,871 sq mi). Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba.