Calabar is the capital of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and creeks of the Cross River.
Calabar is often described as the tourism capital of Nigeria, especially due to several initiatives implemented during the administration of Donald Duke, which made the city the cleanest and most environmentally friendly city in Nigeria. Administratively, the city is divided into Calabar Municipal and Calabar South Local Government Areas. It has an area of 406 square kilometres and a population of 371,022 as at 2006 census.