Calabar, the capital of Cross River state, was created on 27th May 1967 with a total land area of 20,156 km2. It is located in the southern part of Nigeria, bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by Benue State and in the south-west by Akwa Ibom State. It has a modern airport that is accessible from any part of the world and named after one of Nigeria's female political icons, Margaret Ekpo.

Over the years, Calabar has attracted major global tourism, with its annual Christmas Festival attracting visitors from far and wide to savour the music, carnival, cultural displays, exhibitions and pageants which bring out the best the state can offer.

The population of the state is 3,104,446. The most common local language spoken by the people are Egagham, Bekwara and Efik.