Social Groups
Igbo
African Peoples
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The Igbo are a major ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria, historically organized in a notably decentralized, village-based political structure without the centralized kingship common among some neighboring groups, governed instead through age-grade associations, title societies and councils of elders. Igbo society places strong emphasis on individual achievement and title-taking as markers of status alongside lineage. The Igbo were central to the Republic of Biafra's 1967-1970 secession and the ensuing civil war, an event that remains a defining and debated point of reference in Igbo political identity.
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own account Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountWest Africa (southeastern Nigeria) 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own account Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountHistorically agrarian (yam and cassava cultivation) with a strong tradition of trade and, in the diaspora, entrepreneurship. 1 Disputed
Population Estimateestimated 30 to 45 million 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountAs with other major Nigerian ethnic groups, no official ethnic census exists; cited totals vary considerably by source and methodology. Sources
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